GALVESTON, Texas -- Nearly 45,000 anxious Galveston residents, barring the West Enders, will be able to return to their homes for good on Wednesday beginning at 6 a.m., KPRC Local 2 reported Saturday.

Although city officials warned residents rats, raw sewage and a no-excuses curfew await exiled residents who try to return to storm-wrecked Galveston Island when it reopens next week.

The residents were forced to flee the island more than a week ago when Hurricane Ike lashed out at the coastal island.

But it could be weeks or more before basic services are restored in all areas.

Very limited water, sewer, natural gas and electric services have been restored to areas behind the Seawall.

City Manager Steve LeBlanc said residents that live behind the Seawall East of 103rd Street and Cove View Lane can return to their homes and assess their individual situations and determine if they can stay.

"You will need to decide if you can sustain yourself in your situation -- given what you have," he said.

"We have people whose homes are totally and completely destroyed, all the way to the other end of the spectrum, to where your home is perfectly fine," LeBlanc said.

Residents of the heavily damaged West End to the Seawall area can also return Wednesday to assess the damage to their property, gather important belongings and then they will have to leave by 6 p.m.

City officials said there are no water, sewer, natural gas, and electric services available west of the Seawall, therefore sanitary living conditions are not available at this time.

The Jamaica Beach community began allowing residents onto the island Saturday to examine their property, then leave. That news prompted another miles-long traffic jam on the only road onto Galveston Island.

Residents of Bolivar Peninsula will also start seeing their homes next week, albeit for only a quick peek. Because the main road is impassible in many spots, residents will be loaded into dump trucks and other heavy vehicles for their tour.

When Galveston residents re-enter the island, they will hit a checkpoint where they will receive handouts on critical information because city officials will no longer be able to communicate through the media; most residents no longer have access to TVs.

The handouts will contain information on road hazards, water conditions and what services residents can expect.

"You will absolutely need to get this information," said LeBlanc.

LeBlanc said the island may not be suitable for children or the elderly yet, and parents were warned their children could be exposed to infections from storm debris and other hazards.

He strongly suggested residents assess their individual situation and use caution.

LeBlanc said there are a few things residents should not do when they re-enter their homes:

Do not flip the breaker, especially if it has been submerged under water because it could start a fire, and the island’s water and fire department resources are limited.

Do not try to turn on the gas, because gas companies have cut all gas to homes. Residents will need to call a technician to have the gas restored.

Planes continued spraying the island to control mosquitoes, and officials urged returnees to wear masks and rubber gloves to protect themselves from mold and to properly dispose of spoiled food to stave off vermin.

We don't want that flowing out into the streets," LeBlanc said. "We don't want varmints getting into it."

No medical facilities will be available on the island. The University of Texas Medical Branch, the island's only hospital, is still days or weeks away from admitting people, said city officials.

A boil water notice remains in effect until further notice.

The limited retail services available are fuel, food, water, auto and pharmacies.

City officials said the 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. island curfew will remain in effect and will be strongly enforced. A $2,000 fine will be issued to violators.

"If we have to make an example, we will do that. Law enforcement is key and we are going to have order in this city," said LeBlanc.

State Rep. Craig Eiland, who represents Galveston, said the Department of Public Safety has assembled an additional 150 troopers to patrol the island.

Since all traffic lights are out, the state has sent 800 to 1,000 stop signs to the island to help minimize congestion and chaos.

The Galveston Independent School District continues to survey the damage and has contractors working on the schools. Officials did not give a reentry timeline, but said updates will be available on the Web site at www.gisd.org/ike.

Galveston Community College sustained minimal damage and is operating on auxiliary power. The college will reopen three days after residents are allowed to re-enter.

Authorities had blamed the storm for 26 deaths in Texas and 61 total in the U.S., including a utility contractor from Florida who was electrocuted Friday while trying to restore power in Louisville, Ky.

Power had been restored Saturday to more than half the customers in Texas whose electricity was cut by Ike, though state officials said about 1.2 million remained in the dark.

The nation's fourth-largest city continues recovering. Houston schools that have been closed since Ike are to begin reopening Tuesday, with all campuses to be open by Sept. 29.

NASA said Friday that flight control of the International Space Station was returning to the Johnson Space Center, which shut down a few days before Ike's strike but did not sustain significant damage.

In Beaumont, near the Louisiana line, authorities lifted a mandatory evacuation order Saturday that had been in effect since Sept. 11, clearing residents to return to the city of 110,000 for the first time in more than a week.

But thousands bused out of the city before Ike won't be coming back right away. Half of Beaumont is still without power, and with city water utilities and sewage running on generators, officials said they may not be ready for everyone to return.

In Tyler, where more than 2,000 southeast Texans were hauled to shelters before Ike, officials said it would likely be Monday before buses start taking evacuees back.

More than 1 million people evacuated the Texas coast as Ike steamed across the Gulf of Mexico. Gov. Rick Perry said 20,500 people were still staying in 190 shelters Friday.

About 135,500 families had qualified for government-funded hotels, though fewer than 9,000 were checked in, said Richard Scorza, a spokesman for the Federal Emergency Management Agency.