Ike Now Category 1, But Still Dangerous

Thousands call for rescue; millions lose power

(AP) - Hurricane Ike battered the southeast Texas coast today with driving rain and ferocious wind gusts, the eye of the storm powering ashore at Galveston at 3:10am as a strong Category 2 storm. Thousands of homes and government buildings flooded, roads were washed out and several fires burned unabated as crews could not reach them. More than 2.9 million lost power, and suppliers warned it could be weeks before service was restored. More»

Ike may become Category 3 storm before landfall

(NEWSER) - Officials in Houston and Galveston warned residents to stay put tonight as Hurricane Ike threatened to become a Category 3 storm, CNN reports. “If someone has not left the island by now, they need to go get inside and stay there,” the mayor of Galveston said. Nearly a quarter million Texas residents have opted to stay despite warnings that Ike may be the worst storm to hit the state in 50 years, MSNBC reports. More»

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»

(NEWSER) - President Bush visited Houston and took an air tour over Galveston today, urging Americans to continue contributions to the Red Cross and other charities and promising timely aid from state and federal governments, the Washington Post reports. Meanwhile, Houston Mayor Bill White grumbled about a slow FEMA response to his city, which still has 1.6 million residents without power and a curfew in place until Saturday. More»

(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. More»