A huge relief effort was accelerating in storm-struck Texas yesterday as the big oil center of Houston struggled to get back to business after it was battered by Hurricane Ike. About 2,000 people had been rescued from flooded areas in the largest such effort in the state?s history as searchers scoured hard-hit places like the devastated island city of Galveston, which was shredded when the hurricane made landfall on Saturday morning before heading inland to Houston.

Reuters energy correspondent Erwin Seba reported that 12 of the 15 Texas oil refineries that had been shut as a precaution showed no visible signs of flooding or damage ? a sign fuel production could resume more quickly than initially thought. Over 4 million people, several refineries and many businesses and gas stations remained without power, but floods were receding as crucial aid such as ice, water and food was being delivered to distribution points.

The relief roll-out appeared to defuse tensions that flared between the Federal Emergency Management Agency and local officials as hard-pressed residents complained about the time it was taking to get supplies to those in need. Local officials later attributed the rift to confusion over who was responsible for doing what in the relief chain, a situation that led to delays. The Bush administration came under heavy fire for its botched relief efforts in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Floods have been among the obstacles to rescue efforts and aid operations, but officials said the waters were receding. Houston Mayor Bill White said all city employees were expected to show up to work yesterday as the country?s fourth most populous city tries to get up and running again. Power provider CenterPoint Energy reported it had restored power to 380,000 customers, but over 1.7 million or 76 percent of its clients remained without electricity as of Sunday night. At least three bodies were found in Galveston, which sustained some of the worst damage of the storm. The scale of destruction became apparent as authorities allowed more people to return.

The downtown area, containing the few buildings that survived a hurricane in 1900 that killed thousands, was under a layer of foul-smelling mud and sewage. Boats, water scooters were strewn on the streets. ?It looks like a war zone. Everything is gone. It?s heartbreaking,? said Susan Rybick, a retiree driving along the seafront with her husband, John.