(November 27, 2008)--As the cleanup continues along the Texas Gulf Coast, many families will give thanks Thursday for having been spared the worst of Hurricane Ike, but others are still struggling to get back on their feet.

The state’s two U.S. senators announced Wednesday that at least $1.3 billion in federal funding is earmarked for recovery in Texas, more than two months after Hurricane Ike roared ashore at Galveston.

The Insurance Information Institute says Ike left behind $8.1 billion in insured damage after it stormed ashore on Sept. 13.

Many of the thousands of coastal residents who headed inland to escape the storm are back in their homes and enjoying Thanksgiving, but others are not.

More than 3,800 people who worked at the University of Texas Medical Branch on Galveston Island have been laid off.

Other residents are still trying to pick up the pieces of their lives.

Last week, Gov. Rick Perry week criticized the U.S. government's response for debris removal from affected counties.

The Governor's Commission for Disaster Recovery and Renewal, made up of private and public officials, will oversee coastal rebuilding from Ike.

Perry wants the panel to report, by June 30, on recommendations for responding to future storms.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency typically pays 75 percent of cleanup costs, while local governments are responsible for the rest.

Texas officials estimate cleanup costs from Ike total $2 billion.

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