Traffic out of the Houston area became a nightmare as Hurricane Rita approached and Gov.Rick Perry wants to avoid a repeat.

Perry announced Monday he's working with Houston and Harris County authorities to set up an evacuation task force to better plan for future events, especially when it comes to fuel supplies.

Perry today called last week's massive evacuation from the Houston area a success, despite hours-long traffic jams and a scarcity of fuel.

Perry is asking President Bush to reimburse Texas for expenses related to Rita at the same 100-percent level that's expected for its assistance with Hurricane Katrina.

Rita made landfall early Saturday near Sabine Pass, about 30 miles from Beaumont.

Perry says evacuating large urban areas is a complex effort, but officials can learn from this experience and do better next time.

The governor is is working with Houston Mayor Bill White and Harris County Judge Robert Eckels.

Task force members will seek input from experts on traffic flow and on the logistics of delivering fuel to motorists.

Meanwhile, Gulf Coast evacuees who are preparing to return home can get information about road conditions by calling a Department of Public Safety number, 1-800-452-9292.

Shell Oil Co. and Motiva Enterprises LLC said Sunday that their North Houston and Pasadena distribution terminals were open to provide fuel for service stations in the Houston area, where widespread shortages occurred as residents fled Hurricane Rita.

The companies said the North Houston terminal reopened Saturday and had expected to supply at least 30 tankers or about 270,000 gallons of gasoline to area Shell stations.

The Pasadena terminal opened Saturday night, the companies said.

The companies said they would give priority to supplying fuel to locations used by emergency vehicles and those on main routes for residents returning to evacuated areas, including Interstate 45, Interstate 10 and U.S. Highway 290.

STAGGERED RETURN SCHEDULE

Monday: Residents may return to communities west of I-45 and south of I-10, including residents of Richmond, Stafford, Rosenberg, Sugarland, Pearland and surrounding communities, plus all Houston residents inside Loop I-610.

Tuesday: Residents may return to all remaining areas east of I-45 and north of I-10 up to the Liberty and Chamber county lines.

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