Residents stream into Ike-battered Galveston

updated 7:14 p.m. ET Sept. 24, 2008

GALVESTON, Texas - Ten days after Hurricane Ike, this devastated beach town reopened to residents Wednesday with stern warnings about what still lurks on the island — rotting cattle carcasses, snakes and swarms of mosquitoes — and what isn't there: drinking water, reliable electricity, medical care or sewer service.

After spending hours in traffic that backed up for 10 miles, some residents found their homes in ruins.

"I wasn't prepared for this," taxi driver Patricia Davis said as she waved away mosquitoes and surveyed the remains of her apartment, which had its entrance blocked by collapsed walls, wrecked furniture and sodden clothing.

City officials hoped most of the 45,000 residents who fled before the Sept. 13 storm would stay away until more repairs could be made.

"We didn't promise paradise when you came back here. We've got a lot of work to do. You've got a lot of work to do," City Manager Steve LeBlanc said Wednesday.

Limited water
The city has limited drinking water, few working sewers, limited electricity and minimal medical facilities. Officials extended the disaster declaration for 90 days.

What Galveston does have is ripening in the tropical heat: Rotting food in piles of debris where houses once stood, millions of mosquitoes and an abundance of snakes. The carcasses of cattle that drowned during the storm are too badly decomposed to be moved; they'll rot in the fields just outside the city limits.

People were warned not to return without tetanus shots — or rat bait.

"Being here today kind of gives me some closure," said Anita Arredondo, who found a pile of rubble where her two-story home once stood. "I have not been sleeping well, worried about what we could save and what we couldn't."

Ken Holman said he wished city leaders had allowed residents to return sooner because it might have allowed him to save more of his mother's belongings from the house she lived in for 56 years. The home was inundated by 4 feet of water.

"Just the fact it took us this long to get in here, that kind of hurts," he said.

Shelters on the way
The city has opened a shelter for 100 newly homeless residents, and officials hoped to set up more shelters on the mainland for residents whose homes are uninhabitable, LeBlanc said.

The city and the Federal Emergency Management Agency are considering a plan to allow residents to live in FEMA trailers in their driveways or near their houses during repairs. But LeBlanc noted he would want all trailers removed from the island before the start of the 2009 hurricane season.

But progress was slow: The island's three electrical inspectors and two plumbing inspectors were ordered to inspect every flooded property before allowing residents to turn on the gas or flip an electrical switch. LeBlanc asked other cities to send more inspectors.

"It's not a healthy and safe place to be at this time," said Mark Guidry, county health director.

Video   Mud and mold Sept. 24: NBC's Charles Hadlock gets a first-hand look at the damage Texas residents are finding when they return to their homes in the wake of Ike. MSNBC

At Ruby Holman's house, where water lines stained the walls four feet above the floor, daughters Sharon and Ann wore bright yellow gloves and white masks as they carried away buckets of debris, including prized books.

The carpet inside Holman's home was so soggy, it soaked through everyone's shoes. The air inside the house was so choked with mold and mildew, a visit could only last a few minutes at a time.

Diane and Eddie Howard found that one of their homes, which they had bought only three weeks ago, was destroyed by a fire after the storm.

The other home, which they are trying to sell, was flooded by 8 feet of water, ruining the first floor but sparing many of their personal belongings on the second and third floors.

"I've been through all kinds of hurricanes," said Eddie Howard, who was born on the island 77 years ago. "This is the worst one."

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