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December 2, 2008 8:48:44 PM CST

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Crews Fan Out in Texas to Gauge Ike's Wrath

Posted Sep 13, 08 5:54 PM CDT in US 

(AP) – Rescue crews in high-wheel trucks, helicopters and boats ventured out to pluck people from their homes today in an all-out search for thousands of Texans who stubbornly stayed behind overnight to face Hurricane Ike. The storm blew out skyscraper windows, cut power to millions and swamped thousands of homes along the coast. Yachts were carried up onto roadways, buildings and homes collapsed and cars floated in floodwaters.

Overnight, emergency dispatchers received thousands of calls from frightened residents who bucked mandatory orders to leave as the storm closed in. Authorities estimated there were about 140,000 or more who stayed despite warnings they could die. The storm, which had killed more than 80 in the Caribbean before making landfall in the United States, claimed at least two lives in Texas, but the toll was likely to rise.

Source Associated Press

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Joe Rodriguez wades through floodwaters caused by Hurricane Ike as he abandons his stalled truck Saturday, Sept. 13, 2008 in Houston.   (AP Photo)
Joe Martinez wipes his brow while walking through the West End section of Galveston, Texas, flooded by hurricane Ike, Saturday, Sept. 13, 2008.   (AP Photo)
Debris is seen scattered across Highway 146 on a bridge leading from Kemah to Seabrook, Saturday, Sept. 13, 2008, in Kemah, Texas, after Hurricane Ike moved through the area.   (AP Photo)
Residents assess the damage to their homes and boats at an apartment complex Saturday, Sept. 13, 2008 in El Lago, Texas.   (AP Photo)
Robert Fattig carries some of his belongings from his flooded home in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike Saturday, Sept. 13, 2008 in League City.   (AP Photo)
David Bean kayaks by as Janey Fatting removes debris floating in her front yard after it flooded in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike Saturday, Sept. 13, 2008 in League City.   (AP Photo)
A cemetery flooded by storm surge from Hurricane Ike is shown, Saturday, Sept. 13, 2008, in Galveston, Texas   (AP Photo)
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