More than 48 hours after Hurricane Ike swamped the Gulf Coast, rescuers flew for the first time into areas cut off by the storm and found a scene of devastation, with whole subdivisions obliterated, and began evacuating survivors.

Houston, littered with glass from skyscrapers, has been placed under a weeklong curfew and millions of people in the storm's path remain in the dark.

Rescuers have saved nearly 2,000 people from waterlogged streets and splintered houses. Many had ignored evacuation orders and tried to ride out the storm.

In hard-hit towns like Orange, Bridge City and Galveston, authorities searched door-to-door, hoping to reach an untold number of people still in their homes, many without power or supplies.

11th District Vice President Sandy McGhee has established an IAFF operations/relief center in La Marque, Texas, to provide temporary shelter for IAFF members and their families until FEMA aid or insurance can take over. In Galveston, where building codes require all structures -- including private homes -- to withstand winds up to 140 mph, McGhee reports that much of the devastation is from water. Most every fire fighter who lives in Galveston (approximately 40 IAFF members) has a flooded home.

DVP McGhee is also in contact with other IAFF affiliates along the Gulf Coast, including Houston, which sustained some damage to its union office. Downed trees in Baytown have caused damage to Baytown, TX Local 1173 members' homes, but only a few are uninhabitable. He has been unable to make contact with Orange, TX Local 1432 and is concerned about extensive flooding there. Port Arthur, TX Local 397 reports that Bridge City, which connects to Orange, had no flood wall. There is no IAFF affiliate in Bridge City, but some IAFF members live there.

Meanwhile, members in Houston and Dallas and others in the hurricane area are in varying stages of deployment.