Houston power restoration still patchy

HOUSTON, Sept. 24 (UPI) -- Eleven days after Hurricane Ike, power restoration efforts have divided the Houston into a patchwork of areas with and without electricity, residents say.

In some cases, homes and businesses with power sit next door to those without, and some sweltering residents are reaching the limits of the endurance, The Houston Chronicle reported Wednesday.

"Every day's the same," former cashier Madelaine Carter, 60, told the newspaper. "You sweat. You hate everyone. After this long, you lose your good feelings, and you just want to knock somebody in the head."

The spotty nature of the power restoration was illustrated at one Houston apartment where 12 of the buildings had electricity and six did not, the newspaper reported.

"Every day we think, 'Maybe today's the day!' And then the evening comes and we say, 'It's not coming,' and we get so sad," Houston resident Priscilla Pearson, 48, said.