Ike Evacuees Clog Road To Galveston, Then Kept Out

GALVESTON, Texas (AP) - Displaced residents of Galveston, Texas, are ready to go back home, lining up 20 miles deep on Interstate 45 only to be told they aren't allowed on the island yet.

City and state officials are hoping to get those still on the island after Hurricane Ike to leave. They're worried about the growing threat of diseases.

The death toll from Ike has reached 50 around the country, and seems to have leveled off in Texas. Search teams have left Galveston, having checked on almost 6,000 people and performed more than 3,500 rescues. Still, not everyone is accounted for.

In Houston, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff says the distribution of food and water is going smoothly. Just a day before, the opposite was being said by local officials.

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