Officials say they fear more bodies may be in Texas debris

Ike blamed for 27 deaths from Texas to Midwest
Story Highlights
NEW: At least 500,000 Houston area customers get power back

Officials say they fear more bodies may be in Texas debris

Texas governor: Galveston residents may not be able to return for "weeks"

Winds, floodwaters take toll in Midwest

GALVESTON, Texas (CNN) -- The remnants of Hurricane Ike moved into Canada early Monday after the storm left a trail of destruction and 27 people dead from the U.S. Gulf Coast to the Great Lakes.

Hurricane-force winds from the storm were felt as far north as Kentucky, and heavy rains flooded streets in Chicago, Illinois.

Deaths related to the storm were reported in Louisiana, Arkansas, Indiana, Missouri and Ohio as well as Texas.

The toll could go higher. Chambers County, Texas, Judge Jimmy Sylvia told CNN late Sunday that there is nothing left of Oak Island, a city on the coast in Galveston Bay. Smith Point, to the south, has "mounds and mounds of debris," the judge said, and he fears they may find bodies in the rubble.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry said Monday it could be "weeks" before residents can return to Galveston, the island city that Hurricane Ike devastated when it made landfall early Saturday.
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Rescuers saved almost 2,000 in Texas after Ike

Swamped survivors sort through rubble
Rescuers searching flooded streets and ruined houses left behind by Hurricane Ike said they saved nearly 2,000 people in the largest search-and-rescue operation in Texas history. Survivors, meanwhile, begin to take stock. "I've never seen water like this," said a 30-year Galveston resident. full story

Texas after Hurricane Ike

'I've never seen water like this'
Wanda Collins has lived four blocks from Galveston's seawall for 30 years, and though she's seen hurricanes hit coastal Texas before, she's never had 5 feet of water collect in the garage under her home. "I've never seen water like this," she said after Hurricane Ike hit. full story
'Lot of cleaning up to do' Ike videos
iReport.com: See images of Ike's aftermath
CNN Wire: Houston under nighttime curfew
iReport.com: Ike evacuee, pets ready to go home
Time: What it felt like to ride out Ike
Blog: Coping with Hurricane Ike's aftermath

Survivors beg for help as Ike ravages Texas

Survivors beg for help as Ike ravages Texas
About 250,000 refused to flee Category 2 hurricane.
NBC News and news services
updated 24 minutes ago
GALVESTON, Texas - Massive Hurricane Ike crashed into densely populated southeast Texas early Saturday, battering the coast with driving rain and ferocious wind gusts as residents who decided too late they should have heeded calls to evacuate made futile calls for rescue.

Though it would be daybreak before the storm's toll was clear, already, the damage was extensive. Thousands of homes had flooded, roads were washed out and several fires burned unabated as crews could not reach them. But the biggest fear was that the nearly 250,000 people who defied orders to flee would need rescue from submerged homes and neighborhoods.

The eye of the storm powered ashore at 3:10 a.m. ET at Galveston with 110 mph winds, a strong Category 2 storm.

Too late for some to flee Hurricane Ike

Too late to flee Ike, Texas officials say
Water pushed ashore by the approaching Hurricane Ike has already flooded neighborhoods in Galveston, Texas. In nearby Houston, some 200,000 have fled ahead of the hurricane. Ike's storm surge could reach a deadly 22 feet, forecasters said. The center should make landfall early Saturday.
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More than 120 rescued from Ike's floods
Story Highlights
NEW: Coast Guard helicopters airlift stranded residents from Galveston area
NEW: Many of those rescued were motorists stranded on flooded roads
Coast Guard, Air Force unable to rescue 22 people stranded on freighter
Active-duty military has 42 search-and-rescue helicopters on standby
HOUSTON, Texas (CNN) -- Even with Hurricane Ike more than 100 miles away, authorities began rescue efforts Friday, picking up more than 120 people stranded by rising seas along the southeast Texas coast.

The U.S. Coast Guard rescues a person trapped in a car on Friday as Hurricane Ike hits Texas.

Most of the rescues occurred in Galveston County, where rising water and other effects of the storm began hours before expected landfall early Saturday.

Stranded residents have been airlifted from Crystal Beach, Bolivar Peninsula and other communities in the Galveston area. Many of those rescued were motorists stranded on flooded roads.

In Surfside Beach, police waded through chest-high rushing water to rescue five people trapped in their homes. One man refused to leave, said Surfside Beach police Chief Randy Smith. Watch rescuers save a motorist from floods »
http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/weather/09/12/ike.rescues/index.html
also

Kan. Guard members head to Texas for Ike helpThe Associated PressPosted : Friday Sep 12, 2008 16:15:37 EDT

TOPEKA, Kan. — Twenty-one Kansas National Guard soldiers and three helicopters are on their way to Texas to help with the response to Hurricane Ike.
They took off Friday. Their departure had been delayed a day by concerns about the weather and where Ike was headed.
Originally, the soldiers and helicopters, part of two Army National Guard aviation units, had planned to travel to Camp Robinson in Arkansas, outside Little Rock.
But the guard said they’ll travel instead to San Angelo, Texas.
About 600 guard members are in Louisiana, helping with hurricane relief efforts there, but some of them are supposed to come home this weekend.
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/09/ap_kansasguard_091208/

Volusia flooding victims raise suspicion of deliberate pond breaches

Frustrated Volusia flooding victims raise suspicion of deliberate pond breaches
Gary Taylor and Rachael Jackson Sentinel Staff Writers
September 11, 2008
Tropical Storm Fay dumped so much rain so fast that massive ponds designed to hold once-a-century downpours failed, prompting speculation of intentional breaches in swollen man-made lakes.

Law enforcement, city officials and regional water regulators say they have no evidence that anyone breached ponds in southwest Volusia to prevent flooding on their properties.

The claims, including one the Volusia County Sheriff's Office is reviewing, signal the ongoing frustration of storm-weary residents still looking for answers about what went wrong and reassurances it won't happen again -- as Fay's remnants leave behind moldy homes, soggy lawns and swarms of mosquitoes.

Residents can learn more about DeBary's plans to deal with long-standing stormwater problems during a City Council meeting at 6 p.m. today at Florence K. Little Town Hall, 12 Colomba Road.
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http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/volusia/orl-flood1108sep11,0,5963977.story

Haitians 'screaming for help' after storms

Haitians 'screaming for help' after storms
Story Highlights
Gonaives is surrounded by a lake of floodwaters

The known death toll in northern Haiti is 13

Haiti still recovering from Hurricane Gustav and Tropical Storm Fay in past two weeks

Steep terrain and deforested hills make Haiti vulnerable to floods


SAINT-MARC, Haiti (AP) -- Haitian families scrambled onto rooftops and screamed for help Tuesday in a city flooded by Tropical Storm Hanna, as U.N. peacekeepers and rescue convoys tried in vain to reach them.

Iris Norsil, 20, managed to flee the western coastal city of Gonaives and told The Associated Press that people there were isolated by muddy waters as evening fell, many seeking refuge on rooftops as wind gusts drove horizontal sheets of rain that flooded roads and buildings.

"They are screaming for help," Norsil said, as a U.N. aid convoy tried unsuccessfully to drive into Gonaives, now surrounded by a virtual lake of floodwaters. A team of AP journalists accompanied the convoy.

Another convoy carrying Prime Minister Michele Pierre-Louis had to abandon efforts at getting into Gonaives when one of the cars was nearly swept away, said Julian Frantz, a Haitian police officer who was providing security for the group.

Floodwaters rose rapidly outside Gonaives, where Norsil and scores of other residents who abandoned the low-lying city shivered violently in soaked clothing, nervously eying the rushing, debris-clogged waters. iReport.com: Photos from Haiti
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http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/weather/09/02/haiti.hanna.ap/index.html

Indian flood victims face food shortages

Indian flood victims face food shortages
Story Highlights
Indian flood victims now face food shortages

450,000 families displaced after dam in Nepal broke on August 18

2.7 million people in 1,600 villages might have been affected

Agencies scramble to help, but damaged infrastructure hampers efforts

PURNIA, India (CNN) -- The piercing wails from little lungs fill the air at this makeshift relief camp in Bihar's flood-ravaged Purnia district.


The babies scream for food. Their mothers cradle them in loving arms but cannot soothe the hunger in their bellies.

Food is scarce for the hundreds of people who have sought shelter here. They huddle under tents made from blankets and propped up by bamboo stems.

And when aid workers ration out rice, they quickly devour it.

"We ran for our lives and now we are dying here for food," said Bachni Devi, who arrived at the camp with ten small children and a pregnant daughter in tow.

"We are dying even for clothes. All our animals are also dying."

Government officials say that 450,000 families have been displaced after a dam in Nepal broke on August 18. It breached the eastern embankment of the Kosi River, a waterway that straddles the India-Nepal border.

Water flushed through the breach so forcefully that the river changed course in Bihar, gobbling up thousands of villages and marooning residents on thin strips of dry land in India and Nepal.
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http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/08/31/india.floods/index.html

Floodwaters wash fire ants into home, man dies of bites

Man fatally bitten by fire ants that washed into his home
Willoughby Mariano Gary Taylor and Vincent Bradshaw, Sentinel Staff Writers
August 28, 2008

Tropical Storm Fay continued its deadly streak when a Chuluota-area man was bitten to death by fire ants that washed into his flooded home, authorities announced Wednesday.

It also caused more destruction and anxiety. The St. Johns River spilled over the sea wall into downtown Sanford. In DeBary, where more than 130 homes were flooded, residents worried after a sinkhole swallowed trees and damaged a road.

State Road 46 -- a major road in Volusia, Seminole and Brevard counties -- remained blocked because of rising waters from nearby Lake Harney that sent snakes, alligators, and rabbits swimming for higher ground.

And still, the floodwaters continued to rise.


The St. Johns River remained 7 inches to 2 1/2 feet above flood stage in Astor, DeLand, Sanford and Lake Harney. Waters in all but the Astor location were expected to rise through the weekend.

The storm's latest victim was described as a man "60-plus years old" who went into anaphylactic shock after receiving multiple fire-ant bites Tuesday morning. Because of flooding, rescue crews were delayed in reaching him. He was taken to a hospital, where he died that night, said Seminole County Emergency Manager Alan Harris.
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1 million cut off by monsoon floods in India

1 million cut off by monsoon floods in India
After river bursts its banks, north Indian state issues plea to relief agencies
Mon., Aug. 25, 2008
PATNA, India - Authorities struggled Monday to get aid to more than 1 million people stranded by floods in a north Indian state, with one local government leader describing the situation as a catastrophe.

Air force helicopters and troops were trying to get food to people in the stricken areas of Bihar state that were inundated by flood waters last week after torrential rains caused the Kosi river in neighboring Nepal to burst its banks.

The Bihar state government issued a plea to relief agencies to step in and help get food and shelter to the residents.

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http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26389141/

St. Johns river causes evacuations in DeBary FL

Evacuation ordered for 180 homes in DeBary as St. Johns inundates area
Aug 25, 2008



All around Ray McDuffie, there was misery.
Lake Harney homeowner talks about battling high waters Video


Hurricane Blog Updates
Graphic: Where the waters run high Graphic

Fay finally going away!

Tropical Storm Fay moving away from Central Florida
Aug 22, 2008 10:09 -0400


Updated: 6 minutes ago
At 8 a.m., the center of the tropical storm approached Gainsville, forecasters said. Fay should continue to head west for the next couple of days. Latest Updates from the Hurricane Blog
Wekiva Falls residents evacuated
No part of Seminole spared by Fay's rath
Brevard County Health Department closed Friday
More than 5,000 homes without power in Brevard
Rollins open; University of Florida, Brevard Community College closed

Fay drenches parts of Florida; 8,000 homes flooded
Story Highlights
NEW: Rainfall could reach 30 inches in some areas, forecast says
Airboats help rescue people in flooded homes in St. Lucie County
Kennedy Space Center will remain closed for a second day
Track Fay with CNN's Hurricane Tracker

PORT ST. LUCIE, Florida (CNN) -- While residents were rescued by airboats from their homes Wednesday in southeast Florida, Tropical Storm Fay churned in the Atlantic ocean likely gearing for a return to dump more water on the state this week.

National Guard troops rescued seven people from a trailer park in southern Brevard county that was surrounded by high water, a spokesman said.

As many as 8,000 homes in two low-lying areas may have been damaged, the St. Lucie County Public Safety Department said.

"We've never seen anything like this," Sheriff Ken Mascara said, adding that officials had expected the storm to follow a more northern path.

"Last night the eye actually skirted St. Lucie County. We were on the southside of the eye," Mascara said.

"It actually became stationary last night at one point, and that's the reason why we have so much water today. We thought we'd get maybe 4 or 5 inches of rain with this weather, and we got closer to 15."

Bethany Schulstrom, 16, an iReport contributor, said water was up to people's knees in the streets of Port St. Lucie. "They sent a warning to everyone not to leave [their homes] because the snakes are coming out of their holes and there's fish everywhere," she said.

Near the north fork of the St. Lucie River, water gushed down streets and lapped at the doors of parked cars.

Meg Defore said that the first floor of her home was 14 feet above ground but water had reached the top of her doors. She left in a small boat.

Meanwhile, Susan Thul sat on her porch, waving to passers-by. She vowed to stay in her house because she said the water reportedly had reached its highest point.


In Melbourne, where a 50-year-old rainfall record was shattered, residents have been warned of an alligator swimming in the streets, according to CNN affiliate WKMG-TV in Orlando.
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http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/weather/08/20/tropical.storm.fay/index.html

National Guard at work to save Clarksville MO

Guard soldiers fight to save MO town from flood
Soldiers bulk up a sandbag levy to help fight encroaching floodwaters in Clarksville, MO.
http://www.militarytimes.com/multimedia/video/062008_clark_flood/

The United Female Veterans of America convention is this weekend in St. Louis. Thanks National Guards! With you there saving the towns, I'm not worried about going there now.

Mississippi River washes over levees

Mississippi River washes over levees
Water spilled over two levees on the Mississippi River today, surging into west-central Illinois, covering fertile farmland and pushing residents from their homes, officials said. Stranded pigs sunned themselves atop a barn near Oakville, Iowa, with floodwaters lapping near the roof of the building. full story

Dealing with the psychological aftermath of floods

Stephanie Salter: Dealing with the psychological aftermath of rising waters

By Stephanie Salter
The Tribune-Star

The woman behind the desk was uncharacteristically tight and terse. If I didn’t know her, if I were some stranger who’d just come into her workplace for services, I might think, “Geez, what’s with her? Would it kill her to smile?”

But I do know the woman, so I asked a question that’s fairly common around these parts just now: “Did you get any flooding?”

Her shoulders sagged and she nodded. Then, in a rush, she began to describe the extent of the damage to her home and all her family’s possessions. As she recounted the scary evacuation the family had to make — one minute life was normal, the next minute water was rushing into her house — her eyes filled with tears.

I’m no psychologist, but I was pretty sure I recognized the signs of post-traumatic stress. I also realized that this woman’s experience was one of thousands in the Wabash Valley and south-central Indiana.

As the physical signs of the great flood of June 2008 begin to fade, so will the consciousness of those of us who were fortunate enough to only read and hear about it. The flood’s victims, however, may look like everyone else on the outside, but inside they will be coping for months with its disorienting destruction.

And that struggle just might make them crabby, spaced out, fearful or weird to the uneducated eye.

If only the Red Cross could hand out survivor buttons that say, “Bear with me — I was flooded.” Until then, Michael Urban, a clinical psychologist in Terre Haute, has kindly provided some of the common reactions people have to traumatic or deeply disturbing occurrences like the area’s recent devastating flood.

Urban also emphasized that, while coping skills and healing time vary among individuals, anything the rest of us can do to stay aware of (and sympathetic to) the tough place many of our neighbors will be in for some time can only help.

“Most of these folks will be managing their job and the rest of their life in addition to the aftermath of the flood,” he said. “You know, we often overlook it, but everybody had a life prior to this, and that life doesn’t stop.”
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http://www.tribstar.com/cnhi/tribstar/opinion_columns/local_story_169195900.html