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Police Chief Harold Hurtt said a curfew, previously only in effect for areas on the southeast side under mandatory evacuation, was needed to maintain safety. The curfew is in effect through 6 a.m. each night through Saturday morning.

“Most of the lights are still out, traffic signals are still not working, debris is in the streets and it’s dark in the community,” Hurtt said.

There is no curfew in unincorporated parts of the county, and other cities were responsible for making their own access and curfew rules, if any.

Meanwhile, rain was forecast throughout the day, and a variety of flood watches and warnings were in effect for southeast Texas. Water was building on notorious low spots on roads, feeders and freeways, including some that had flooded and drained after Ike passed through Saturday.

The heavy rains weren’t stopping convoys of buses and heavy-duty vehicles from lining up outside the staging area at Tully Stadium in west Houston before dawn, preparing to head out to hard-hit areas.

The weather trigger is a cool front that is mixing with the trail of moisture the hurricane brought in. High temperatures were expected to approach 90 degrees, but the front was expected to drop temperatures into the upper 60s overnight.

Houston Mayor Bill White said this morning ice and fresh water are on the way, although he couldn’t give a timetable. He said fuel is being distributed first to those with “critical needs,” such as hospitals and emergency facilities. Power restoration is focused on the same buildings as wells water treatment plants.

“We have stressed to CenterPoint, the private company which owns the wires carrying electricity … we’ve emphasized to them that everything humanly possible should be done to get the grid back up as soon as possible.”

This morning’s rain is not expected to cause major flooding from bayous, but residents should stay inside their homes, County Judge Ed Emmett said today.

“I cannot stress this enough – transportation arteries are still very, very dangerous,” Emmett said. ”Please don’t venture out unless you absolutely have to.”

Still, the latest deluge complicated the recovery effort after Ike, whose toll and property and life was still coming into focus today. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff could not yet put a dollar amount on damage, except to say that it would likely rival some of the “legendary” damage figures of storms past.

“By any measure, it was a huge storm,” Chertoff said.