1. By Donald Johnson September 23, 2008 Looking out for Ike Hurricane Ike was the ninth named storm, fifth hurricane and third major hurricane of the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season .

2. Cape Verde-type hurricane Cape Verde-type hurricanes typically develop from tropical waves which form in the African savanna during the wet season, then move into the African steppes . The disturbances move off the western coast of Africa and become tropical storms or tropical cyclones near the Cape Verde Islands, usually in August or September.

3. Three days before landfall, Houston still held hope that most of this storm would pass to the south.

4. Leaving town Residents of the Edgewater Retirement Community in Galveston evacuate of Ike on Sept. 11, 2008 .

5. Lt. Gov. calls for evacuation Interviewed on CNN, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst said: "We've just convinced earlier this morning the mayor of Galveston to order an evacaution, so we're trying to get everyone out ..." About 40% stayed.

6. The day before “ Persons not heeding evacuation orders in single-family one- or two-story homes will face certain death,” the weather service said in a local bulletin to residents of Galveston Island, according to the New York Times . “Many residences of average construction directly on the coast will be destroyed.” They weren’t kidding!

8. Catch a Wave September 12, 2008-- Sylvia Renteria watches a big wave caused by Hurricane Ike crash into the seawall in Galveston

9. Gas gouging? Wholesale gasoline prices on the Gulf Coast moved even further into uncharted territory to around $4.85 a gallon on fears of vast fuel shortages as the hurricane honed in on the mass of refineries that line the upper Texas coast. The region accounts for about one-fifth of the nation's petroleum refining capacity .

10. Boarding up CNN’s Anderson Cooper hung out at Galveston’s Hotel Galvez during the storm, occasionally stepping outside to show how the winds were picking up.

11. Katy, Texas the evening before the storm.

12. The storm drove a wall of water that flooded Galveston and submerged a 17-foot sea wall built to protect the city after a 1900 hurricane killed at least 8,000 people. More than half its 60,000 residents had fled as the track shifted northwards.

13. A ruptured gas line is believed to have been ignited causing this blaze. Firemen were unable to respond.

14. Despite strong warnings from government officials , more than ten thousand people chose to stay in coastal areas as Ike approached.

15. After the storm, many of those who didn’t evacuate had to be rescued. Port Arthur Police SWAT search and rescue team heads into the flooded areas of Sabine Pass, Texas, Sept. 14, 2008, looking to help victims of Hurricane Ike. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

16. The town of Clear Lake Shores in Galveston County

17. The Aftermath State Highway 146 in Seabrook

18. Debris litters I-45 coming from Galveston.

20. Floodwaters surround houses near Winnie.

21. A worker inspects damage in front of the JP Morgan Chase Tower in downtown Houston. Many windows were damaged.

22. Ike kills 28 The number of Houston-area deaths attributed to Hurricane Ike crept to 28 Monday as officials released some of the names of those killed during and after the storm. Aerial shot of Crystal Beach shows Ike’s devastation.

23. Marine One, with President Bush aboard, takes an aerial tour Ike near Galveston on Sept. 16.

24. Chad Lavergne searches through his Ike-ravaged Bridge City home for personal items.

25. Christina Rigde carries her search and rescue dog Doc after he cut his front paw on glass during search and rescue efforts in downtown Galveston

26. A boat washed ashore rests atop an automobile in Galveston

27. The storm, which caused up to 80 deaths in the Caribbean last week, reduced swathes of Galveston's seafront to matchwood and left the city without water or electricity.

28. The last house left standing A single house is left standing on the waterfront near Gilchrist, Texas, following the destruction caused by Hurricane Ike.

29. Surviving beachfront homes may be condemned anyway As many as 500 homes might not be rebuilt on the water's edge because of a 50-year-old state law.

30. A 1959 law known as the Texas Open Beaches Act. Under the law, the strip of beach between the average high-tide line and the average low-tide line is considered public property, and it is illegal to build anything there.

31. Before and After An aerial photo of the same shoreline taken by the U.S. Geological Survey on September 15 (bottom) illustrates the dramatic destruction the strong Category 2 storm wrought on the coastal community. Yellow arrows mark the same distinguishing features in both images.

32. Crystal Beach Bolivar may have been the hardest hit by Ike's 110 mph winds and estimated 16-foot storm surge. Towns all along the peninsula were virtually flattened by the treacherous winds, rain and floods from Hurricane Ike.

33. Residents of Pasadena receive ice, water and food from members of the Texas National Guard.

34. Floodwaters brought by Ike cover a cemetery in Orange.

35. Hurricane Ike appears to have destroyed a number of production platforms and damaged some of the pipelines in the Gulf of Mexico, federal officials said Sunday.

36. Ike’s devastation Ramona Guidry stands on the steps of her childhood home above flood waters in Barataria, Louisiana.

37. Scott Hayes of the Texas National Guard holds up a muddied set of flags found on Galveston Island in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike.