Sept. 15 (Bloomberg) -- Work crews in Texas struggled to restore electricity to 1.7 million customers battered by Hurricane Ike, whose remnants churned through the Midwest, unleashing deadly floods and cutting power to millions more.

The death toll from the weekend storm rose to 37 across nine states, the Associated Press reported. Some 37,000 people were lodged at shelters throughout Texas, Governor Rick Perry's office said. Many were forced to abandon their coastal homes as Ike, packing winds of 110 miles (177 kilometers) per hour, made landfall near Galveston two days ago and cut north through the Lone Star state.

An estimated 140,000 people rode out the storm, according to a federal count, and local officials and National Guard troops rescued about 2,000 people from flattened houses and rising waters. The governor warned evacuees against returning to their homes until crews had a chance to repair downed power lines, remove submerged debris on roadways and stop natural-gas leaks.

``Do not come back into impacted areas until local elected officials give the all-clear,'' Perry said at a televised news conference in Orange. ``The absolute worst thing to happen would be for people in areas with fuel, water and electricity to leave them, come home and put an additional strain on resources.''

Power outages have idled pumping stations, cutting off the water supply to many areas hit by the storm.

Midwest Flooding

The storm pushed inland yesterday, creating floods in the Midwest. As much as 9 inches (23 centimeters) of rain fell on Cook County, Illinois, prompting a disaster declaration for the Chicago area.

Heavy winds, including 70 mph gusts, battered Ohio, Pennsylvania and Kentucky, felling trees and severing power to more than 2 million people, including 135,000 customers in western New York. Ohio's governor declared a state of emergency, authorizing the National Guard and road crews to clear debris.

New Orleans-based Entergy Corp. said it had almost 458,000 customers without service in three states, including 450,000 that lost power because of Ike. The company was still repairing lines damaged by Hurricane Gustav in Louisiana early this month.

Houston police declared a nighttime curfew this week, warning that street lamps and traffic lights will be down. Only about a quarter of CenterPoint Energy Inc.'s 2.26 million customers have power, and restoring full service may take a month, the utility said. More than 14,000 workers from 33 states will help.

Contaminated Water

Tidal surges and flooding may have contaminated water lines with bacteria, and the city of Houston urged residents to boil tap water until it's proved safe, even for tasks as simple as brushing teeth.

``You're never going to get ice, food and water into an area impacted by a hurricane fast enough,'' Perry said today, asking Texans to be patient.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency sent at least a million bottles of water; 2.2 million meals; almost 1 million tons of ice; and 80,000 tarps. It also supplied 1,400 search- and-rescue personnel to Texas and Louisiana, a number that includes federal and state assets, according to the agency.

The Army Corps of Engineers was working with Houston officials to gauge how much help is needed to clear debris. It is also surveying any damage to shipping channels in Houston, the nation's second-largest commercial port by cargo volume, after southern Louisiana.

Shipping Resumes

Portions of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway and Houston Ship Channel reopened to commercial vessels today, the Coast Guard said.

Ike, the first hurricane to hit a major U.S. metropolitan area since Katrina devastated New Orleans in 2005, scattered 2.3 million people in two states as it approached the Gulf Coast. Some rented rooms at Houston's Omni Westside. The hotel lost electricity and running water yesterday.

``You can't hide from the effects of this storm,'' said Walter Hallam, a pastor from La Marque, Texas, as he dipped a wastebasket into the hotel swimming pool to replenish the empty toilet tank in his room.

President George W. Bush, who declared Texas a major disaster area, will travel to the state tomorrow. Damage to oil and gasoline infrastructure will ``pinch'' gasoline supplies and may push prices up temporarily, he said today in Washington.

Refiners to Restart

Oil refiners in Texas and Louisiana prepared to restart plants. Ike caused minimal damage to facilities in an area that supplies about half of the fuel and crude used in the eastern half of the U.S. Crude oil fell to a seven-month low and gasoline futures fell.

The storm surge in coastal Galveston, predicted to be as high as 25 feet (7.6 meters), may have peaked at half that level, according to a National Weather Service tidal gauge.

Areas along the Texas coast stretching into southwestern Louisiana received more water than Galveston. In Port Arthur, Texas, as much as 20 feet was recorded and downtown Beaumont, Texas, 78 miles northeast of Houston, had about 9 feet of water.

The hurricane may have caused $8 billion to $18 billion in insured losses on land as it moved inland, according to Oakland, California-based Eqecat Inc., which predicts the effects of disasters.

To contact the reporter on this story: Demian McLean in Washington at dmclean8@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: September 15, 2008 20:08 EDT