Recovery efforts continuing after Hurricane Ike

"I have been president long enough to have seen tough situations, and have seen the resilience of the people to be able to deal with the tough situations,” said Bush after touring the destruction left in the path of the storm.. "I know with proper help from the federal government and the state government, there will be a better tomorrow."

“The resiliency and resolve embraced by Texans in the aftermath of this storm has brought us a long way down the road to recovery in only a few days,” said Perry on Wednesday. “Restoring power is a top priority now that search and rescue efforts are concluding. Bringing homes, business, schools and health care facilities back to full operation will be a milestone in our efforts to help Texans recover from the damage they sustained.”

Anywhere from 500,000 to 1.1 million residences in the affected areas could still be without power next week, according to electric company officials. Thousands of workers from more than 30 states have come to Texas to assist with the recovery of power along the Gulf Coast and in South and East Texas.

"If I could make a wish for a single magic bullet to move us forward, it would be to get the power lines fixed," said Chertoff on his second visit to Texas this week.

Perry has issued an emergency proclamation authorizing public utility companies to lay temporary electric transmission lines to help speed the process of restoring electricity in affected areas. Some areas of Houston reported electricity that went off Saturday morning was restored Sunday to cheers heard up and down residential streets, only to have the power go off again less than 12 hours later.

In Houston, damage and debris removal alone was estimated at mid-week by the Texas Department of Transportation at some $20 million. The federal government is making $5 million available immediately to begin work on repairing roads, bridges and airports damaged by Ike. "These funds are a down payment on our commitment to the people of this region," said U. S. Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters. The Secretary said more funding will be available once damages are assessed.

After being closed all weekend, the Bush Intercontinental Airport resumed service on Monday.

In Galveston, where the storm made landfall, search and rescue efforts included checking every property in the city for survivors. The first signs of recovery were recorded Thursday when a local grocery store on Seawall Boulevard in the Island City reopened, with dozens standing in line to make purchases.

More than 3,500 residents in coastal areas were rescued by air, ground and water. More than 200 shelters remained open housing more than 20,000 evacuees whose pets also were being sheltered. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) sent truckload after truckload of ice and water and meals-ready-to-eat to thousands in areas hit by the storm.

The Texas Education Agency reported that some school districts in the storm-ravaged areas are likely to be closed for up to three or four weeks. Some universities in the path of the storm have re-opened but others, such as Sam Houston State University in Huntsville and Lamar University in Beaumont, will not likely open until sometime next week. Texas A&M Galveston is closed, with its classes to be moved to the A&M-College Station campus.

"A major component in our decision," said SHSU President Jim Gaertner, "was that many of our students, faculty and staff commute from areas where gasoline is scarce, and a commute to campus would be a major problem, if not an impossibility."

To date, some 50 deaths have been recorded during and in the aftermath of the storm.