Hurricane Ike Damage Galveston, Texas

Hurricane Ike ravaged Galveston, Texas early Saturday, battering the coast with driving rain and huge wind gusts as residents that stayed behind, realized they should have evacuated. These stragglers made futile calls for rescue. So far the damage from Hurricane Ike is not known.

Authorities are not certain just how many people may have perished as the worst of Ike was passing over the Houston-Galveston area. But even before daylight arrived, damage was extensive. Thousands of homes and buildings were flooded, and 2.9 million people lost power.

Everyone’s greatest fear was the tens of thousands of people that defied the evacuation orders, that would need to be rescued from flooded homes.

Early morning found emergency officials taking calls for help from residents along the coast who remained behind and were trapped in their homes. Gov. Rick Perry mobilized 7,500 National Guard troops and his homeland security chief, Steve McGraw, said rescues would start as soon as crews could safely go out.

Officials in Galveston, on a vulnerable barrier island, said an estimated 40% of the city’s 57,000 residents ignored the evacuation orders.

“The unfortunate truth is we’re going to have to go in … and put our people in the tough situation to save people who did not choose wisely. We’ll probably do the largest search-and-rescue operation that’s ever been conducted in the state of Texas,” said Andrew Barlow, spokesman for Governor Rick Perry.

The eye of the strong, category two storm powered ashore just after 3am local time. Officials had warned that as many as 100,000 homes could be smashed by the wall of water expected to hit the coast.

“The size, strength and current path of the storm have the potential to produce catastrophic — let me repeat that — catastrophic effects and to threaten the lives and safety of citizens along the Texas coast and the western part of Louisiana,” Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said.

As the front of the storm moved into Galveston, fire crews rescued nearly 300 people who changed their minds and fled at the last minute, wading through floodwaters carrying clothes and other possessions.

“We don’t know what we are going to find. We hope we will find the people who are left here alive and well,” Galveston Mayor Lyda Ann Thomas said. “We are keeping our fingers crossed all the people who stayed on Galveston Island managed to survive this.”

Let’s hope the people that stayed behind managed to survive Hurricane Ike.

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