04:57 PM CDT on Tuesday, September 6, 2005

Pam Easton / Associated Press

HOUSTON -- The thought of temporarily living aboard a cruise ship may be a vacation for some, but it's not even a last resort for many of Hurricane Katrina's victims who are living in the Astrodome.

"NO! I am scared," Sandra Johnson, 55, said at the thought. "I done seen enough of water."

Johnson wasn't alone in her discomfort with the Federal Emergency Management Agency's proposal to use two cruise ships as temporary housing for 4,000 hurricane evacuees.

But as word began to spread through the Astrodome that their next home could be on water, the evacuees' answer was largely, "Thanks, but no thanks."

Another plan to move Katrina survivors from the massive shelters where they've been housed since last week was delayed when the federal government took over a Texas National Guard plan to airlift refugees out of Texas.

It was unclear when any flights might actually leave and attempts to get an explanation from FEMA were unanswered Tuesday.

U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Joseph Leonard, directing the emergency response in Houston, said he's sympathetic to refugees' concerns about living on water, but it's the best plan available now. He said workers would try to persuade some evacuees to try out the ship.

"The bed on a cruise ship is a little bit better than a cot out here," he said. "It is not a perfect solution. It is a better s olution than we have right now."

Dallas Mayor Laura Miller said Tuesday she is also hoping to get evacuees steadily moved out of Reunion Arena and into vacant apartments or public housing.

"We could probably keep them for a long time, but we don't want to do that. We want to give them privacy, a place to live" Miller said. "This is not a humane way to live."

Johnson, who's caring for her disabled 5-year-old granddaughter, said she likes the Astrodome's proximity to the Texas Medical Center and fears being away from medical care for the girl.

"It's comfortable until I find somewhere to go," Johnson said, sitting next to a play pen she set up for the girl. "I have no complaints. I take one day at a time. That's all I can do. No sense rushing."

Donna Smith, 24, wants to leave the sports arena, but not to a boat. She hopes to find an apartment for herself and her children, including 5-month-old Dakota.

"I can't live over water. I can't swim," she said. "I wouldn't want to see no more water. I saw enough already."

Those over age 60, who are in good health and don't require a caregiver, get first crack at a cruise-ship berth. Next come single parents with small children and those with children between 8 and 12.

Patricia Early, who is staying at the Astrodome with her husband and 80-year-old mother-in-law, says she won't send the elderly woman alone.

"The only way she goes is if we go," Early said.

Leonard said others are hesitant to leave because they're awaiting missing relatives who might arrive at shelters, and they've found comfort at shelters after the trauma of the storm and days on the move.

"While it is not the best place in the world, it is the closest thing they can get to home," he said.

FEMA spokesman Ed Conley said the evacuees need time to think through their options.

"It is important that we all remember that they came from a very, very terrible situation," he said. "Now they are in a place that is safe, that is dry and most of their immediate needs are being taken care of."

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Associated Press Writer Betsy Blaney in Dallas contributed to this report.

(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)