First few Article Sentences
In the early morning hours of Sept. 4, Hurricane Ike, a massive storm 240 miles in diameter with sustained winds of 145 mph, hit the coast of Texas. As the storm slammed across the state, it triggered flooding that caused $27 billion in property destruction, 32 deaths and the evacuation of more than a million people in Texas alone.
The city of Houston, not normally considered a target of tropical storms, sustained severe flooding, loss of power and shut-downs of such companies as Exxon Mobil, ConocoPhillips, and BASF. Equally devastating was the storm’s impact on thousands of hospitals, schools and small businesses.