UPDATE:

Ike is now a tropical storm.

At 8 PM EDT Tropical Storm Ike has winds of 40 mph...with movement to the north-northeast at 21 mph.

Ike continues to dump heavy rain across eastern Texas...western Louisiana and points north. Gusty winds will still accompany the storm.

Ike is expected to weaken to a tropical depression overnight...before racing through the Ohio Valley and the Northeast.

Eastern North Carolina will not be feeling the effects of Ike.

PREVIOUS STORY:
Even though the real toll won't be known until daybreak, it's already clear that Hurricane Ike has caused extensive damage to Texas coastal areas.

Ike smashed into Galveston, Texas early this morning as a sprawling Category 2 storm.

Officials say thousands of homes have flooded, roads are washed out and several fires burned unchecked because the storm prevented crews from reaching them.

The landmark restaurant Brennan's of Houston was destroyed by fire because winds thwarted firefighters' efforts.

Utility officials say millions of people are without power and it could be weeks before all electricity is restored.

There's also fear winds could shatter the windows of the sparkling skyscrapers that define the skyline of Houston, America's fourth-largest city.

It's also feared thousands of people who defied orders to flee will need rescue from submerged homes and neighborhoods