Beyond Katrina

Hurricane Ike destroys a number of Gulf platforms

HOUSTON (AP) - Federal officials say it appears Hurricane Ike destroyed a number of production platforms and damaged some of the pipelines in the Gulf of Mexico. Lars Herbst, regional director for the U.S. Minerals Management Service, said Sunday that flyovers revealed that at least 10 production platforms were destroyed by the storm. Herbst stressed the assessments were preliminary, but the damage appeared far worse than that caused by Hurricane Gustav two weeks ago.

More than 4M people without power as Ike hits

HOUSTON (AP) — About 4.5 million people are without power in the Houston area as Hurricane Ike slams the Texas coast. Continue>>>

Brennan’s Houston restaurant burns down during Hurricane Ike

Brennan's Restaurant of Houston, a fixture of the downtown area of that city for almost 40 years, burned to the ground as the eye of Hurricane Ike moved into the area near midnight Friday, WHOU-TV reported. Continue>>>

Hurricane Ike Coverage - Coast Guard Scans Flooded Texas Coast

HOUSTON - In this video by the U.S. Coast Guard, an Air Station Houston HH-65C rescue helicopter crew conducts an overflight of the southeastern Texas coastline scanning for residents needing assistance and documenting flood waters, Sept. 12, 2008.

(U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Houston video/edited by Petty Officer Renee C. Aiello)

Video: USCG Air Station Houston HH-65C rescue helicopter crew completes one of the first rescues during Hurricane Ike.

In this U.S. Coast Guard video, an Air Station Houston HH-65C rescue helicopter crew completes one of the first rescues during Hurricane Ike. (U.S. Coast Guard video/Air Station Houston)

Houston-We-Have-a-Problem No Joke as Storm Nears

NEW YORK Houston may be a bit inland from already-evacuated Galveston, Texas -- even the daily paper left town there -- but it remains on a direct path for Hurricane Ike and flooding has already hit the city. On its super-busy Web site, the Chron just reported one death and numerous rescues as fears rise. It also had video and blogs going strong. Here is the first part of its current report as of 5:30 PM ET.

Houston decides to stare down Ike instead of leave

HOUSTON (AP) -- As a gigantic Hurricane Ike steamed through the Gulf of Mexico toward the Texas coast, officials in America's fourth-largest city made a bold decision: Instead of fleeing, residents here would stare down the storm. Continue>>>

Surge rising around New Orleans as weaker Hurricane Ike heads for Houston

Hurricane Ike couldn't seem to shake its inner eye late Thursday, and that may keep the huge storm from reaching Category 3 strength before making landfall just west of Galveston and Houston near midnight Friday. Continue>>>

Cars, trucks stream inland in Texas as massive Hurricane Ike nears

HOUSTON (AP) -- Cars and trucks streamed inland and chemical companies buttoned up their plants Thursday as a gigantic Hurricane Ike took aim at the heart of the U.S. refining industry and threatened to send a wall of water crashing toward Houston. Continue>>>

Oil workers evacuate Gulf

HOUSTON -  Oil Workers and drilling contractors Thursday accelerated the evacuation of thousands of workers and secured offshore rigs and other equipment in the Gulf of Mexico as Tropical Storm Gustav churned toward the United States. Continue>>>