Bush Follows Ike to Texas

President Bush visited Houston and took an air tour over Galveston today, urging Americans to continue contributions to the Red Cross and other charities and promising timely aid from state and federal governments, the Washington Post reports. Meanwhile, Houston Mayor Bill White grumbled about a slow FEMA response to his city, which still has 1.6 million residents without power and a curfew in place until Saturday.

“We are not only meeting, but we are exceeding the state requests for food, water and ice,” said FEMA chief R. David Paulison. He also said that rescue operations in Galveston are winding down and turning more toward providing shelter and supplies for the displaced. Texas Gov. Rick Perry urged an estimated 1 million refugees from the hardest-hit areas to stay away, for now. (More Texas stories.)