(September 13, 2008)—Downed trees and power lines and power outages were reported in several eastern counties, but most of Central Texas was spared the worst of Hurricane Ike, which pushed north through East Texas after making landfall just after 2 a.m. Saturday.

Ike came ashore as a Category 2 hurricane and remained at hurricane strength until around 1 p.m. Saturday when it finally weakened into a tropical storm.

It was expected to weaken further into a tropical depression as it headed north.

Law enforcement officials report downed trees and power outages in Franklin and in various areas of Robertson County, and in Freestone County, there were reports of downed trees west of Fairfield.

In Leon County, sheriff’s deputies reported downed trees along Highway 7 about 10 miles east of Centerville.

In Anderson County, a number of trees are down and several roads were blocked. Power was out for much of the county Saturday.

Along the Interstate 35 corridor, Ike produced little more than gusty winds and rain, and by early Saturday afternoon, the National Weather Service was dropping or downgrading the watches and warnings it issued before the storm came ashore.

A flood advisory was in effect until 5:30 p.m. for northwestern Freestone County, Limestone County and Navarro County.

A wind advisory was in effect until 9 p.m. for Hamilton, Bosque, Hill, Coryell, Bell, McLennan, Falls, Milam and Robertson Counties and a tropical storm wind warning was effective until 9 p.m. for Freestone, Navarro, Leon and Limestone Counties.

A flash flood watch continues through Sunday morning for Freestone, Limestone, Navarro, Leon and Robertson Counties.

There was extensive damage in southeast Texas where Hurricane Ike roared ashore.

At least four deaths are linked to the storm, and thousands of homes and government buildings were flooded and roads are washed out.

Nearly 3 million people were without power, and utilities are warning that it could be weeks before all the service is restored.

The only parts of Houston with power are downtown and the massive medical center section.

A spokesman for Houston's mayor says several fires are burning untended across the city, and 911 operators received about 1,250 calls in 24 hours.

Authorities in four counties say roughly 140,000 ignored mandatory evacuation orders.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency says more than 5.5 million prepackaged meals are being sent to the region, along with more than 230 generators and 5.6 million liters of water.

At least 3,500 FEMA officials are stationed in Texas and Louisiana.

President Bush had declared a major disaster for Texas, making federal funding available to affected residents of Angelina, Austin, Brazoria, Chambers, Cherokee, Fort Bend, Galveston, Grimes, Hardin, Harris, Houston, Jasper, Jefferson, Liberty, Madison, Matagorda, Montgomery, Nacogdoches, Newton, Orange, Polk, Sabine, San Augustine, San Jacinto, Trinity, Tyler, Walker, Waller, and Washington Counties.

Funding is also available to state, eligible local governments and certain nonprofit organizations in Angelina, Austin, Brazoria, Chambers, Cherokee, Fort Bend, Galveston, Grimes, Hardin, Harris, Houston, Jasper, Jefferson, Liberty, Madison, Matagorda, Montgomery, Nacogdoches, Newton, Orange, Polk, Sabine, San Augustine, San Jacinto, Trinity, Tyler, Walker, Waller, and Washington Counties for debris removal.

Gov. Rick Perry said Saturday afternoon that no one is allowed on Galveston Island in the aftermath of Ike except emergency personnel.

People who are on Galveston Island can stay, but Perry said anyone who leaves won't be allowed back in.

Officials are concerned about people who ignored evacuation orders there and elsewhere.

Emergency crews were arriving in affected areas by land, air and boat.

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