Today's relocation of about 4,000 evacuees from the Astrodome and Houston's other giant shelters to two Galveston-based cruise ships has been delayed because shelter residents don't want to go. Volunteers trying to fill buses bound for Kentucky also found few takers.

"Some of these people are still looking for their families," said Andrew Biar, a spokesman for the Federal Emergency Management Agency. "They don't want to go. They feel safe here."

"The dome is home for them," said Lt. Joe Leonard of the U.S. Coast Guard and area commander for the Houston shelters. "For residents, another immediate relocation is simply too much, too soon."

Some residents prefer to focus on finding family members while others want more time to explore options for getting on with their lives. All are struggling to comprehend the dramatic changes that have happened to them in less than a week.