Rains, thunderstorms hammer Houston
Power outages caused by Hurricane Ike may last for up to a month, officials warn.
HOUSTON — Heavy rains and thunderstorms pummeled Houston this morning, hampering rescue efforts along the Gulf Coast and the restoration of full power and water for many residents of the country's fourth-largest city in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike.
Officials with local utility companies warned residents that it may be as long as a month before power has been restored across the Houston area and harder-hit communities to the south like Galveston. Crews must hack their way through downed trees and flooded and debris-clogged roadways in their efforts to repair power lines.
As many as 5 million people in southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana are without electricity, according to state and local officials.
The wide power outages, in addition to several main arteries through Houston now shut down by floods caused by the morning's rains, prompted city and county officials to institute an overnight curfew for the entire city through next week.
The lack of power and dwindling supplies of fuel and perishable food has residents here in Houston nervously making runs across the city to scavenge and horde for the days to come.
In addition, residents who evacuated before Ike made landfall early Saturday morning -- reportedly 1 million people from all along the Gulf Coast area -- have started to return to the Houston area, only to find they are unable to either reach their homes or fill their gas tanks. As the day grows warmer and more humid, some have run out of gas on the highways or been stuck on side roads.
Authorities said Saturday that more than 3 million people were left without power by the 500-mile-wide storm. Thousands more residents were feared stranded by swirling floodwaters. Authorities said they could not provide an accurate tally of the storm's damage because many roads were impassable and entire neighborhoods were cut off.
At least three deaths were listed as storm-related. Officials feared that the toll could mount, depending on the fates of people caught in areas that were supposed to be evacuated.
The storm's top tidal surge was 15 feet, well below the 20 to 25 feet predicted. But damage to homes, businesses and infrastructure was widespread, and the economic toll was considerable because the region's huge oil, natural gas and petrochemical industries were shut down.
Preliminary industry estimates put damage at $8 billion or more. Consumers nationwide faced rising gasoline prices, topping $5 a gallon briefly in some areas.
