Hurricane Ike Batters Texan Coast

Hurricane Ike, the second tropical cyclone to hit the southern US in 10 days, battered the Texan coast today.

The storm brought winds of up to 115mph (185kph) and sea level surges of more than six meters (20ft) as authorities expressed grave concern for those who had chosen not to evacuate their homes.

Thousands of houses and government buildings were flooded, power supplies to almost three million people were cut off and roads were washed out.

Shards of glass fell from skyscrapers in Houston, with winds estimated to be up to 48kph faster at the top of the buildings than ground level.

Authorities said tens of thousands of people who ignored warnings that staying to face the storms would mean "certain death" needed rescuing from flooded areas.

The National Weather Service had directed its message particularly at people living in one or two-story homes.

"Residences of average construction directly on the coast will be destroyed," it said. "Vehicles left behind will likely be swept away."

"The unfortunate truth is we're going to have to go in ... and put our people in the tough situation to save people who did not choose wisely,'' Andrew Barlow, a spokesman for the state governor, Rick Perry, said.

"We'll probably do the largest search and rescue operation that's ever been conducted in the state of Texas.''

Earlier today, the center of the storm was slightly northeast of Conroe, about 40 miles north of Houston, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The system, moving north after making landfall over Galveston – the scene of the deadliest storm in US history when around 7,000 people died in 1900 - has been downgraded to category one.

Extreme weather experts and local and federal authorities regard Ike as a serious threat because of a combination of factors.

The hurricane itself, although not as powerful as Rita, which caused more than $10bn (£5.6bn) of damage in 2005, covers an area almost the size of Texas itself.

Hurricane-force winds have been measured 120 miles out from the eye of the cyclone, and tropical storm-force winds up to 275 miles out.

Fire crews rescued nearly 300 people who had fled Galveston at the last minute and were wading through floodwaters carrying clothes and other possessions.

Coastguard helicopters saved 103 people from the Bolivar Peninsula, near Galveston Island, officials said.

The US president, George Bush, said Ike was had caused extensive damage in Texas and parts of Louisiana.

"Obviously [rescue teams] on the ground are sensitive to helping people and are fully prepared to do so," he said.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency said more than 5.5m prepacked meals were being sent to the region, along with 5.6m liters of water.

Ike has already claimed 70 lives in Haiti and four in Cuba from its earlier sweep through the Caribbean.