US continues picking up pieces after Hurricane Rita

Hurricane Rita’s path of devastation along the Texas-Louisiana coast became shockingly clear as rescuers pulled stranded bayou residents out on skiffs and Army helicopters searched for thousands of cattle feared drowned.

Crews struggled yesterday to clean up the tangle of smashed homes and downed trees. The hurricane slammed low-lying fishing villages, shrimping ports and ranches with water up to nine feet deep.