IKE NOW TROPICAL STORM

GALVESTON, Texas -- Howling ashore with 110 mph winds, Hurricane Ike ravaged the Texas coast Saturday, flooding thousands of homes and businesses, shattering windows in Houston’s skyscrapers and knocking out power to millions of people

At first light, it was unclear how many may have perished, and authorities mobilized for a huge search-and-rescue operation to reach the more than 100,000 people who ignored warnings that any attempt to ride the storm out could bring “certain death.”

“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 Gov. Rick Perry.

With the winds still blowing and many roads impassable, authorities in some places could not venture outside to get a full look at the damage, but they were encouraged that the storm surge topped out at only 13.5 feet—far lower than the catastrophic 20-to-25-foot wall of water forecasters had feared.

The storm, nearly as big as Texas itself, blasted a 500-mile stretch of coastline in Louisiana and Texas. It breached levees, flooded roads and led more than 1 million people to evacuate and seek shelter inland.

GALVESTON, Texas -- The 22-man crew of a disabled freighter 100 miles off the coast of Galveston, Texas, has made it safely through the night. The Merchant Shipping Department for the Meditterian island of Cyprus reports the ship is no longer in danger and is waiting to be towed back to safe harbor. A tow boat is expected to meet up with the ship sometime after noon. Officials say the ship's Greek owners have been in communication with the ship every hour.The ship is a bulk carrier that's 167 meters long and carrying tons of petroleum coke. The crew includes two Greek nationals and 20 Ukrainian nationals. The ship experienced trouble after sailing out of harbor when two of its six fuel injection pumps broke down.

September 12, 2008 Corpus Christi man drowns, considered Ike victim

A 19-year-old Corpus Christi man was presumed drowned after storm surge from Hurricane Ike swept him from a jetty, Corpus Christi Police Chief Bryan Smith said.
Michael Moxley was second-known, unofficial Ike-related fatality in the hours before the category 2 hurricane made landfall.
A 10-year-old Montgomery County boy died early Friday after a tree limb fell on him. His father was cutting down the tree anticipating Ike's wrath.
In Corpus, police said Moxley and friends were out on a jetty, which is a rocky sea wall, along the Packery Channel, when the wave knocked Moxley under.
His friends said they last saw in the water but not moving.
"We haven't found him," Smith said. "We can't call him dead yet.....but it's not looking good."
Friends who tried to save him ended up being rescued themselves. One's back was broken when the violent swells knocked him against the rocks. He was airlifted to an area hospital. Others were "banged up" with minor injuries, Smith said.
A Coast Guard search for Moxley so far has proved fruitless, Smith said.
In the Montgomery County accident, Joel Smith was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at Tomball Regional Medical Center, officials said. The accident happened shortly before 9 a.m. Friday, Montgomery County officials said.
``Now he (Caleb) has to deal with the guilt,'' said Richard Jennings, pastor of River of Praise, a nondenominational church in Tomball, who spoke on behalf of the family and related how the boy was killed. Jennings called the incident ``a freak accident.''
Nathan Smith, a single father, took his sons everywhere with him, Jennings said, including frequently to church, where they had attended for about two years.
Joel Smith, a fifth-grader with red hair, was a member of the congregation's children's ministry, Jennings said, and attended every Wednesday and Sunday.
``He was a real good kid,'' said Bob Sanchez, a church member who finished sawing the tree into stumps after the incident at the family's home in the 1800 block of Coe Road, west of Texas 249. The house is at the end of a gravel road in a heavily wooded area.
Nathan Smith is ``devastated,'' Jennings said, adding:
``It's just a real tragic incident.''
---San Antonio Express-News, Houston Chronicle

Brennan's Restaurant burns; HFD limits fire response across town 02:07 AM CDT on Saturday, September 13, 2008 KHOU.com staff report

HOUSTON -- One of Houston's historic restaurants burned to the ground early Saturday morning. Firefighters were powerless to save Brennan's of Houston as high winds from Hurricane Ike prevented crews from dousing the flames.

The fire was reported at 12:20 a.m., by the time fire trucks arrived, though, the restaurant was fully engulfed. Almost immediately, fire crews went into a defensive posture to prevent the fire from spreading to nearby buildings.

A Houston Fire Department assistant chief told 11 News that two men and a 4-year-old girl were inside the restaurant at the time of the fire. The three were taken to a local hospital.

The extent of their injuries was not known.

Brennan's opened in downtown Houston more than 40 years ago and constantly rated as one of the best eateries in the city.

It was only one of several fires across the city of Houston late Friday and early Saturday morning. But as hurricane force winds approached Houston, the fire department ordered a handful of fire stations to not go out and battle any blazes until the storm threat subsided.