Hurricane Ike

It's not just pets that need help in the aftermath of recent hurricanes, over 1,000 baby squirrels are undergoing care in what's best described as a "squirrel neonatal unit". The Houston SPCA still receives 20 to 30 lil ones each day, causing these creatures to far outnumber all of the other animals there.

We’re feeding them puppy formula every three hours. . . . We’ve had a pelican and a couple of seagulls, but we’ve been overwhelmed by the squirrels, said Sharon Schmalz, executive director of the society’s Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Center, who explained that this was the height of squirrel birthing season in Texas.

The orphans – many less than three inches long – are hand fed via these nipple-tipped syringes and will remain in the care of volunteers until they reach 12 weeks old. They will then be re-released into their natural habitats, places like rural areas outside city limits or tree-filled suburbs, with newfound strength to frolic freely and leap from limb to limb.

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A latent Texas law may keep beachfront homeowners from rebuilding after Hurricane Ike's devastation. Texas's 1959 Open Beaches Act prohibits private homes on public beaches. Whether a beach is public depends on tide lines, which can be upset by hurricanes like Ike. Thus, homes previously located on private property may end up on the wrong side of the law.

Even worse, the owners may not know for up to a year whether or not the state has condemned their land due to the status of the beach. If they finally receive the bad news, there will be no compensation from the state.

As for other immediate concerns, Gulf Coast hospitals are struggling to restore healthcare services, and millions of residents still lack power. The two issues are actually interrelated, as power outages have caused Texas clinics to stay closed.

It sounds like life as usual might still be far off for many Texans.

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Thankfully, there were improved plans in place before the recent hurricanes hit, but I'm reminded that plenty of pets still need help in the storms' aftermath. Shelters including the Houston Humane Society and the Galveston Island Humane Society are working around the clock to photograph all the arriving animals to help keep track of the pets, and locate their owners. Much of the area is still without running water, electricity or gas . . . but the stray and injured animals keep on coming!

In addition to accepting monetary donations online, if you're local to these areas (or any place affected by the storms), don't be shy about stopping in to volunteer or bring by some much-appreciated goods. To see the items on the shelter's wish list, read more

I can see his Internet dating profile now: "Likes: long walks on the beach in a mascot costume during hurricane season. Dislikes: not having a lot of attention at all times." (Thanks for the silly video, bento barista!)

• Wall Street in Chaos:
  Two Wall Street banks, Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch are in turmoil. Merrill Lynch has agreed to sell itself to Bank of America to stem their mounting financial crisis, while Lehman Brothers has filed for bankruptcy. Added to this, insurance giant AIG has sought $40 billion from the federal reserve to try and save itself. The two banks employ 100,000 people, and shock waves are expected throughout the economy.



• 2,000 Saved From Hurricane Ike:
  In the biggest search and rescue operation in Texas history, almost 2,000 people have been saved from flooded streets following Hurricane Ike. The death toll from the storm has risen to 30 people spread over eight states. Shelters in San Antonio and Austin are crowded with survivors with no home to return to.




• Stampede in Indonesia:
  About 21 people have been killed and more injured in a stampede in Indonesia as people waited for charity handouts from a wealthy family. The giveaway sums totaled about $4 and are a tradition during the month of Ramadan. The giveaway tradition is part of Zakat, where wealth Muslims give away a portion of their money to the poor every year. Footage shows women being pushed up against the fence in the crush of people, and most of those killed were women.

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• Hurricane Ike Tonight:
  Hurricane Ike is expected to make landfall with a direct hit to Galveston and Houston, with a population of 5.6 million. The National Hurricane center was crystal clear with their warning for evacuation: "Persons not heeding evacuation orders in single family one- or two-story homes will face certain death." Forecasters expect water 22 feet above sea level.



• English Channel Fire Burns:
  Firefighters are still putting out small fires after a blaze shut down undersea traffic in the tunnel between England and France. The tunnel remains closed to train traffic after a fire broke out yesterday afternoon in a truck aboard a 30-car shuttle train. The fire is the most serious incident since the tunnel opened in 1994.




• Zimbabwe Rivals Strike Power Agreement:
  President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai have agreed to a power-sharing deal after more than a month of discussion. Though specific details of the deal have not been released, the fact that Mugabe has released any authority signals a loosening of his grip over Zimbabwe. Worry remains that the deal has too much crossover power to grant the country the stability it needs.

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On the heels of Hurricane Gustav, Hurricanes Ike and Hanna have walloped the Bahamas, Haiti, Turks and Caicos, and Cuba. For the Turks and Caicos, 80 percent of the homes on Grand Turk Island have been damaged. The devastating storm has ripped roofs and left residents cowering in closets, "just holding on for life. They got hit really, really bad." The Florida Keys have evacuated ahead of Ike's arrival.

Hurricane Ike headed toward Haiti en route to the Bahamas and Cuba. The "extremely dangerous" storm is crushing relief efforts to help the hundreds of thousands hit by last week's storms, bringing a foot of rain threatening flash flooding and mudslides.

Hanna lashed the Eastern seaboard over the weekend and her tail end is set to hit as far away as the UK on Thursday, with 100 flood warnings already in place.

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