GALVESTON, Texas (AP) — Officials were stung by an ill-fated attempt to let residents and business owners “look and leave” their hurricane-battered city, which only created frustrating traffic jams for two days. Now, their message is clear: Stay away from Galveston.

There is talk of opening the island in pieces, but that plan is not yet ready. An attempt to let evacuees return home all at once quickly devolved into a logistical nightmare that left traffic backed up for 20 miles. That only added to the evidence that Galveston Island is far from ready to return to everyday life.

“We could not accommodate that many people at one time,” City Manager Steve LeBlanc said. “We were hoping to have more of a trickle of cars than a tidal wave.”

It took only an hour for LeBlanc and others to realize that Tuesday’s decision to reopen the island was a mistake. Traffic started to back up almost immediately as residents all over the state headed for the coast and clogged Interstate 45 — already teeming with critically needed utility workers, repair crews and police.

But the word that “look and leave” had ended almost as soon as it began didn’t spread. After spending hours fuming in gridlocked traffic, hundreds were turned away Wednesday once they finally arrived at the only bridge onto the island.