Water Rescues Continue in Orange County

ORANGE COUNTY – As Hurricane Ike’s flood waters began to recede in Orange Sunday morning, rescuers were still out in force, pulling stranded residents from homes and rooftops.

“We pulled out over 500 people yesterday, we’re still finding people today,” said Jimmie Lewis, Orange’s city planner.

Residents rescued from flooded homes are being bused to shelters in San Antonio, Lewis said.

Others in Orange, not trapped by flood waters, are lined up this morning at the Market Basket grocery store in the Northway Shopping Center on Interstate 10 where emergency responders are distributing water and food.

Giant pumps used to drain the city’s northeast neighborhoods were turned on for the first time about 10:30 a.m., Lewis said. Waterways swollen by Ike’s storm surge made using the pumps impossible until then.

“The pumps should start to slowly drain at least the northeast part of the city.” Lewis said. “We still have people there.