Hurricane Ike rolled through Texas this weekend causing chaos along the coast for many hours. Early estimates have the damage ranging anywhere from eight to eighteen billion dollars according to several leading insurance companies. Ike made landfall late Friday night early Saturday morning, although the storm surge had been advancing for hours. Right now there is dusk to dawn curfew in affect for Houston and until next weekend giving emergency crews chance to assess and cleanup the damage. President Bush declared Texas an emergency area as a result of the damage Ike caused. Texas and the Gulf Coast region is home to one third of Americas total refining capacity which Ike has also disrupted. Although the damage was less than expected at many of the refineries, production was shut down due to safety concerns and as a result gas prices spiked over the weekend. It is estimated that it take weeks to restore power and make all necessary repairs. If you would like to read more about the areas hit hardest and more specifics related to the storm check out this article from the Houston Chronicle.
