Thousands of Texans Flee Ike

Galveston, Houston homes still lack power, gas, water

(NEWSER) - Houston- and Galveston-area communities continued to struggle post-Hurricane Ike today, the AP reports. Divers cleared debris from navigation routes into Houston and looked for bodies along the coastline; most of the city remains without power for a fifth day. On Galveston Island and the nearby Bolivar Peninsula—which still lack gas, power, and running water—officials struggled to keep residents from returning to their homes. More»

Prediction of 22-foot storm surge brings dire evacuation warning from weather service

(NEWSER) - Refusing to evacuate could be the last mistake residents living in hurricane-vulnerable homes in coastal Texas ever make, the National Weather Service has warned. The dire warning of "certain death" facing some single-family home dwellers came as forecasters predicted a storm surge of up to 22 feet along Galveston Bay, CNN reports. Almost 1 million people have been ordered to evacuate. More»

(NEWSER) - Oil tankers are scrambling to get into the ports of Galveston and Texas City before officials close them in anticipation of Hurricane Ike, set to hit land by Saturday, the Galveston County Daily News reports. The storm is gathering strength and could be a fearsome Category 4 when it lands somewhere between Houston and Corpus Christi, a region with the nation's largest concentration of oil refineries and chemical plants, the AP notes. More»

Storm expected to wallop southeast tomorrow

(NEWSER) - Frightened North Carolinians fleeing Irene are jamming highways as the East Coast steels for what could be the biggest hurricane in decades. At least seven states have now declared a state of emergency, and hundreds of flights are being canceled. Gas stations are running out of fuel and ATMs have been emptied of cash as Americans hit the road for a bumper-to-bumper trip out of Irene's angry path. The Category 3 storm is expected to hit the Southeast sometime tomorrow, and hundreds of thousands of residents have been ordered out of their homes in three North Carolina counties. Norfolk, Va., is also ordering residents to evacuate , and Washington, DC, has been forced to postpone Sunday's planned MLK Memorial dedication . More»

Outer Banks empties out as East Coast readies

(AP) - A hurricane warning has been issued for the North Carolina coast as powerful Hurricane Earl bears down on the East Coast, while a hurricane watch now extends into Delaware. Visitors have been evacuating Ocracoke Island in ferries and told to leave neighboring Cape Hatteras in North Carolina's Outer Banks, and federal authorities are warning people all along the Eastern seaboard to be prepared to evacuate. More»