Massive effort rescues nearly 2000 in Texas
The death toll of Hurricane Ike rose to 28 in eight states.
The Dallas Morning News
First FEMA aid reaches Houston, but won't be distributed right away Conflicting advice may have discouraged evacuees
DALLAS — Cars clogged debris-strewn roads into the Houston area, even though free-flowing electricity, gasoline and water may be days or weeks away.
The death toll rose to 28 in eight states. The storm left millions without power, destroyed oil production platforms in the Gulf and wrought damage estimated in the billions of dollars.
In Galveston and other coastal communities, rescuers plucked hurricane holdouts from rooftops, crews scrambled to restore electricity and police struggled to maintain order. Airports, schools and most gas stations remained closed. Some stretches of highways were impassable.
 U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Brandon Smith conducts search and rescue operations for residents in Galveston, Texas, on Saturday. (AP Photo/U.S. Air Force, Staff Sgt. James L. Harper Jr.) |
As floodwaters receded Sunday, thousands of volunteers waded into waist-deep waters looking for every person who stayed through the storm.
They found a 5-year-old boy who crashed through an attic. They found an elderly woman who stuck out the storm with her soggy dog. They found almost everyone alive.
Nearly 2,000 were rescued, and many boarded buses to shelters in San Antonio and Austin. About 4,000 evacuees are in North Texas shelters.
"If we save one, it's worth it. It doesn't matter to us. We help everybody we come across," said Capt. Perry Manuel of the Port Arthur Fire Department.
Even so, the death toll continued to rise Sunday. Three were found dead in the hard-hit barrier island city of Galveston, including a person found in a vehicle submerged in floodwaters. Many deaths were outside Texas.
And in North Texas, a 17-month-old boy whose family evacuated Houston was struck and killed Sunday by a vehicle in a Pleasant Grove parking lot.
Bush on his way
In the wake of the storm, political leaders from President Bush to Galveston Mayor Lyda Ann Thomas urged patience.
 U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Lopaka Mounts, left, and Senior Airman Brandon Smith transport an injured resident from an ambulance for air evacuation in Galveston, Texas, Saturday. (AP Photo/U.S. Air Force, Staff Sgt. James L. Harper Jr.) |
"Galveston has been hit hard. We have no power. We have no gas. We have no communications," Ms. Thomas said. "Do not come back to Galveston. You cannot live here right now."
Mr. Bush planned to travel to Texas on Tuesday to express sympathy and lend support to the storm victims. He asked evacuees to listen to local authorities before trying to return home.
"This is a tough storm, and it's one that's going to require time for people to recover," Mr. Bush said after a telephone conference with Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff. "Our first priority is search and rescue. It's very important for citizens, who I know are anxious to get home, to take your time and listen – take advice of the local folks."
Marla Harvey and 10 of her relatives were among those pouring into the Houston area.
They had evacuated on Thursday for her brother's house near Austin. But after three nights on air mattresses and sofa cushions, they turned around.
"We think we have electricity, but we're not sure," said Ms. Harvey, 22. "At home, at least we can see where things stand."
A roadblock greeted residents of the tiny community of Seabrook, near the Johnson Space Center, as they tried to return home Sunday. Police officers stood in the rain turning them away. At times the line was six to 12 cars deep.
"It's gonna be a while," an officer shouted to one man as he made a U-turn. "Just listen to the news."
Damage estimates
Crews from as far away as California were mobilized to assist in the rescue and cleanup. The cities of Fort Worth and Dallas sent workers and heavy equipment, such as front-end loaders, dump trucks and mobile police command units.
Deputy Chief David Martin of Dallas Fire-Rescue traveled to Orange to supervise search-and-rescue efforts.
"We rescued a cardiac patient from his attic last night," Chief Martin said. "That was one of those locations where someone told us they knew a man lived there who had medical issues."
Authorities imposed a weeklong nighttime curfew on Houston.
More than 2.5 million Gulf Coast residents were left without power. The storm also destroyed at least 10 oil production platforms in the Gulf.
Before the storm made landfall Saturday morning, damage forecasts ranged from $8 billion to $25 billion. But the storm spun away from the heart of the Houston Ship Channel and refining and chemical plants.
Howard Mills, insurance adviser to the consulting firm Deloitte LLP, said the early forecasts were "a little bit high."
"Houston is a mess, but not as bad as it could have been if the surge had gone up that ship channel," Mr. Mills said. "But you're still looking at very significant business-interruption losses. The power outages in downtown Houston alone are a problem."
Beyond Texas, Ike's most obvious impact was being felt at the gas pump.
With more than a dozen Gulf Coast refineries shut down, prices surged above $5 a gallon in some places. Nationwide, the average price for regular unleaded rose more than 6 cents, to about $3.80 a gallon.
Weakened storm
Meanwhile, Houston's airports, George Bush Intercontinental Airport and Hobby Airport, planned to reopen today with limited service.
The weakened storm, now a tropical depression, left more harm in its wake Sunday as it moved into the nation's midsection.
Roads were closed in Kentucky because of high winds. As far north as Chicago, dozens of people in a suburb had to be evacuated by boat.
Houston was reduced to near-paralysis in some places, although power had been restored to some downtown office towers by Sunday afternoon. Texas Medical Center, the world's largest medical complex, remained open.
Repair crews scoured downtown, rolling industrial fans and dryers into buildings' front lobbies. Backhoes and front lifters cleaned debris from streets.
In a city that loves to shop, there was a bright spot. Hurricane Ike largely spared the city's west side – so much of The Galleria, the high-fashion shopping mall, was open and bustling.
At the city's oldest icehouse, the beer was cold and the tables full. And the owner, Shaggy Kerrigan, was just plain exhausted.
"This place has sat through more than one hurricane," said Mr. Kerrigan, who owns Jimmie's Place in the historic Heights neighborhood. "We were full yesterday, and we'll be full again today."
Staff writers Scott Farwell, Karen Brooks, Tiara Ellis and The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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