Rescuers Struggle to Reach Ike Survivors

(NEWSER) - Galveston’s historic district is under 7 feet of water, and 4 million Houston area residents are without power after Hurricane Ike’s rampage through the region. Ike, which hit Galveston as a Category 2 hurricane, has since been downgraded to a Category 1, CNN reports. Officials warned that the storm will retain hurricane force through this afternoon. More»

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»

It transmits electricity to help state get through crisis

(USER SUBMITTED) - Wintry storms this week have left Texas scrambling to conserve electricity to prevent widespread blackouts. Power companies are working quickly to restore power, says Gov. Rick Perry, but rolling blackouts swept the state yesterday to help balance the lack of energy. In an ironic turn of events, Mexico's state electricity company began an energy transfer yesterday into Texas through its northern border cities of Nuevo Laredo, Reynosa, and Piedras Negras, reports AFP . Regulators even lifted pollution rules to make the transfer possible, notes the Dallas Morning News . The juice is enough to power 56,000 households. More»

545-foot-tall ride is world's largest; no serious injuries reported

(NEWSER) - 173 passengers on the world’s largest observation wheel were stuck for 6 hours today when a fire caused the Singapore Flyer to lose power, AFP reports. 10 of the stranded sightseers were lowered to safety in harnesses, while the rest waited for electricity to return. Its manager said some passengers were “a bit disturbed” by the “very peculiar incident” at the 545-foot-tall attraction. 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»