Recovery Efforts Begin Following Hurricane Ike

Hurricane Ike swept through Texas on September 13, leaving a trail of damage behind it.

Blown out windows at the JPMorgan Chase Tower are seen after Hurricane Ike moved through the downtown area, Saturday, September 13, 2008, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

While many in the area still are without phone service, Bob Ceuric, owner of Glass Masters Co. in Houston, says the recovery effort at his shop has begun—though it is a slow process.

"I can't really do much without electrical power and fuel," he says. "So I'm just standing still. People aren't showing up to work either."

Ceuric has been without power since Friday, and has heard it may be as much as three to four weeks before it returns. As for the storm itself, his shop mostly made it through unscathed.

"There was no flooding here—we just [had] blowing debris," he says.

As for customers, he says they're out there, but there's not much the business can do yet.

"We've had quite a few calls—we just haven't been able to get out and do anything," Ceuric adds.

According to the Houston Chronicle, police have roped off the streets around the Chase Tower in downtown Houston, the tallest building in Texas, as glass, insulation, furniture and computers continue to fall out of the windows of the 75-story building. (CLICK HERE for that story.)

Today Texas Gov. Rick Perry surveyed Hurricane Ike storm damage from the air before visiting Galveston Island and Ellington Airfield to visit with local emergency management officials. According to announcement from Gov. Perry's office, the top priority of the governor's division of emergency management remains search and rescue, with nearly 2,000 storm victims rescued in the course of nearly 500 missions. From Galveston alone, the governor expects that up to 10,500 residents will be evacuated. Restoration of utility services is being aggressively pursued at the same time.

CLICK HERE for more information about recovery efforts following Hurricane Ike.

CLICK HERE for a related story about Ike's effect on the insurance industry.

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