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Inside: Local agencies seek federal grant to create temporary jobs Page 3A

Section designed and copy-edited by Tammie Hodges and Christopher Clausen, (409) 880-0793

WEATHER: Sunny, Highs: 80s, Lows: 60s/2A

SEPTEMBER 23, 2008

VOL.CXXVIII, NO. 3 23 THE ADVOCATE FOR SOUTHEAST TEXAS SINCE 1880 50 Cents

TUESDAY

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Average price of agallon of regular gasin Southeast Texas:

As of Monday morning Sources: AAA,Oil Price Information Service

$3.62

Disaster billon fast trackin CongressState officials pledge to help get recoverymoney for disaster-stricken coastal towns

By DAN WALLACH and

CHRISTINE RAPPLEYE

THE ENTERPRISE

BRIDGE CITY Texas shouldget a majority of $6 billion infederal disaster relief that Con-gress must address this weekbefore it adjourns, U.S. Sen. Kay

Bailey Hutchison said Monday. Appearing with U.S. Reps.

Kevin Brady and Ted Poe,Hutchison said Hurricane Ikerecovery also must include tem-porary housing for people likeresidents of Bridge City whosehomes were destroyed Sept. 13in Ikes storm surge.

I believe well be able to get

the obstacles worked out,Hutchison said, adding that

there is no announcement yet ontrailers for displaced people inthis storm as there were for peo-ple after Hurricane Rita in 2005.

Clearly, its what you needhere to rebuild and get back to

work, she said. Its an absolutepriority.

BILL,page 4A

Dave Ryan/The Enterprise

U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, center, arrives at a press confer-

ence at the Bridge City High School Monday after touring the

area with Orange County Judge Carl Thibodeaux, left, and Kevin

Brady, right, along with other elected officials.

SE Texas wildlife

falls victim to Ike

FEMA: Mobile homes comingCoordinator says agency could provide travel trailers if requested by state officials

Charles Kerr/The Enterprise

A line of FEMA trailers left a Jasper storage yard Monday en route to Louisiana.

By RYAN MYERS

THE ENTERPRISE

With local leaders fearing popu-lation loss, mobile homes nottravel trailers soon could beavailable for Hurricane Ike vic-

tims, a FEMA official said Monday.FEMA has turned away from

travel trailers, which housed thou-sands following Hurricanes Katri-na and Rita in 2005, because ofsickness and lawsuits resultingfrom high levels of formaldehyde.

Im not going to give you atimeline for when we will have amobile home down on theground, but we do expect one very

Eartha Sneed, 66, was happy to return to Beaumont

after being evacuated to Tyler. She was on the first bus

to arrive at the Beaumont Municipal Athletic Complex

Monday.

Pete Churton/The Enterprise

Beaumonters return from Tyler shelters

Home at lastBy DEE DIXON

THE ENTERPRISE

BEAUMONT Childrenjumped off the buses with smileson their faces while their parents

were exhausted from a five-hourjourney from a makeshift Tylershelter back to Beaumont 11 days

after evacuating from HurricaneIke.Kiaungra Pittman, 4, jumped

off the American Coach bus andran toward her bag that a Nation-al Army Guard soldier placed in arow.

She smiled and grabbed it with

a huge hug.Im going home to play with

my toys, said Pittman, who evac-uated to Tyler with her family andlived in an old Wal-Mart that hadbeen converted into a shelter forSoutheast Texas evacuees.

She and her family were among3,591 Beaumont residents who

were evacuated by bus or ambu-lance before Hurricane Ike pum-meled the region.

Her mom, Annie Sneed, a 33-year-old Beaumont home healthworker, was glad to be home

RETURN, page 4A

Southeast Texas evacuees happy to return11 days after fleeing from Hurricane Ike

Hurricane destroyed food sources, homes,created salty environment for animals

By SARAH MOORE

THE ENTERPRISE

The small alligator lookedincongruous bobbing in the

waves near the shore atMcFaddin Beach.

As it drifted west with the tide,the animal began exhibitingsigns of distress, convulsing andmaking erratic movements.

Soon, it simply gave up andlay on the sand with the wavesbreaking gently around it.

It was likely another victim ofHurricane Ike, said Gary Calkinsof Texas Parks and Wildlife.

Animals are in much thesame predicament as people

when it comes to living in a hur-ricane zone.

Storms destroy their homesand food sources and displacethem into uncomfortable envi-ronments.

The alligator struggling in thesurf at McFaddin was likely dis-oriented and seeking freshwater

when it wandered into the Gulf,Calkins said.

Alligators cant tolerate a salt-water environment for long.Because they absorb mois-

ture through their skin, byosmosis, salt water actuallydraws moisture from their skin,

WILDLIFE, page 4A

2-year-old

Raymond

Chaisson

bounces a

basketball

at the

Beaumont

Municipal

Athletic

Complex

on Monday

after

returning

from evac-

uating to

Tyler with

his family.

Pete Churton/The Enterprise

shortly, said Phil Parr, a FEMA coordi-nating officer.

This is one of our normal pro-grams, Parr said of the mobile homes

during a conference call Monday. Weare very practiced at this.

FEMA, page 4A

VIDEO

See U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey

Hutchisons visit to the areaat BeaumontEnterprise.com