Originally published by the Voice of America (www.voanews.com).
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September 14, 2008

Rescuers Aid Thousands After Hurricane Ike Hits Texas
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=1E2FC5E:A6F02AD83191E1603069BAF397E1FD0AF47489ACC27D21EE&
 
Largest search and rescue effort in Texas history is underway, 1,000
people have been rescued, efforts to rescue thousands of victims trapped
in their homes continue 
Dolores Gabriles, center, 71, is helped from a rescue boat by police
captain Walter Braun, left, and officer Jeremy Smart after Hurricane Ike
hit the Texas coast, in Galveston, Texas, 13 Sep 2008Rescuers in
helicopters, boats and high-water trucks have deployed along the
southern coast of Texas to aid people who ignored evacuation orders and
were stranded by Hurricane Ike. Texas Governor Rick Perry said Saturday
the largest search and rescue effort in state history is underway in
hard-hit areas. He said emergency responders have made around one
thousand rescues already. Authorities fear thousands of victims could be
trapped in their homes for days, waiting to be rescued. The storm swept
through Texas Saturday, flooding homes and businesses and knocking out
electric power to millions of people in Houston, the nation's
fourth-largest city. President George Bush released federal aid to help
local recovery efforts by declaring a major disaster in Texas and parts
of neighboring Louisiana. He will be briefed on recovery efforts later
Sunday. Ike weakened into a tropical depression as it moved inland to
the north and east, causing less damage than predicted. The storm has
killed at least two people in the United States. Forecasters say the
storm will continue to dump heavy rain and might spawn tornadoes in
Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and Missouri. Ike left more than four million
Texans without power from the Gulf of Mexico coast city of Galveston to
Houston. Officials say it may take weeks to completely restore
electricity. The storm also caused significant damage in southern
Louisiana.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.


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