SAN ANTONIO -- Texas emergency management officials set the following plan Saturday for the return home of Houston-area evacuees:

Sunday: Residents west of Interstate 45 and north of Interstate 10, including Tomball, The Woodlands, Waller, Hockley, Katy and Brookshire and surrounding areas.

Monday: Residents west of State Highway 35 and south of Interstate 10, including Richmond, Stafford, Rosenberg, Sugar Land, Pearland and surrounding communities. All Houston residents inside Loop 610.

Tuesday: Remaining Houston area residents east of Interstate 45 and north of Interstate 10 up to the Liberty and Chambers county lines. State and local officials are continuing to work on return plans for residents of other areas east of Houston that sustained damage.

But hours before the plan was released and ignoring pleas by officials, many evacuees already began returning home.

"We're ready to hit that traffic again back home," said an evacuee staying at a shelter in San Antonio. "Get life back to normal."

Houston Mayor Bill White and Gov. Rick Perry urged evacuees to be patient and wait for official word to return home.

White said emergency officials need to access the fuel situation and conduct a damage assessment before giving residents the green light to return and to allow businesses to reopen.

Officials also wanted to prevent a bumper-to-bumper scenario so emergency vehicles carrying supplies and other goods could reach affected areas without a problem.