By some estimates, as many as 140,000 of the nearly 1million residents ordered to leave low-lying areas along the coast elected to stay and brave the storm. Angry officials said their refusal to leave endangered rescue crews now tasked with using high-water vehicles, boats and helicopters to locate and retrieve stranded residents.

"There was a mandatory evacuation, and people didn't leave, and that is very frustrating because now we are having to deal with everybody who did not heed the order," said Steve LeBlanc, Galveston's city manager. "This is why we do it, and they had enough time to get out. It's just unfortunate that they decided to stay."

Perry said the state had mounted "the largest search-and-rescue capability in the history of Texas." LeBlanc estimated that perhaps 40 percent of Galveston's 157,000 residents ignored the evacuation order.