"We would go in a downward spiral if everybody started coming back," LeBlanc said. "Our resources are stretched to the max."

In Houston, the fourth largest US city, about 1.5 million residents are living without power and thousands have no clean drinking water, but they have started to receive food and other necessities from government agencies.

A street is covered in debris from Hurricane Ike in Galveston, Texas September 14, 2008. [Xinhua/Reuters Photo]

The city was still under a dusk-to-dawn curfew due to lack of power and its two main airports just resumed partial operations.

Texas governor Rick Perry has called on victims to pay more patience for relief supplies and those who were evacuated not to rush back to their homes.

So far, there have been 27 reported deaths from the US gulf coast to the Great Lake as a result of the Hurricane Ike, in Louisiana, Arkansas, Indiana, Missouri, Ohio and Texas. Local authorities said that the death toll is likely to rise as search and rescue efforts are conducted.

Despite the supply concerns caused by the storm's impact on the US gulf coast oil production, the crude oil market dropped about 7 US dollars to a seven-month low of 94.13 dollars a barrel.

The US Energy Department said on Monday that Ike did not result in major damage to oil refineries along the gulf coast and companies are preparing to restart operations in Texas and Louisiana.

The White House announced on Sunday that President George W. Bush would visit storm-damaged areas in Texas on Tuesday to show his sympathy to victims.

(Xinhua News Agency September 16, 2008)