Rita rescuers pluck hundreds to safety

After the thousand-plus dead from Hurricane Katrina, only two people were reported dead from Rita though many people remain missing in small towns along the west Louisiana coast that bore the brunt of the 195km (120 mile) an hour winds and six metre (20 feet) high storm surge.

Military helicopters, coast guard boats and volunteers who brought their own craft scoured the worst hit towns and fishing villages that were cut off by floods.

Up to 2,500 people were rescued from Vermilion parish alone during the weekend, authorities said. More were saved in other western Louisiana districts from rooftops and even some who scrambled up trees to get out of alligator and snake infested swamps.

One Vietnamese family rode out the storm on their shrimp boat in Intercoastal City. Many of the stranded people used cell phones to call for help.

Vermilion, Lake Charles, Cameron and other towns are all near the Louisiana-Texas border and took a direct hit from the eye of the storm. Some of the towns are more than 25km from the coast but still suffered severe flooding.

Rita ripped off roofs, sent trees flying into cars, fanned fires through historic wooden buildings and flooded low-lying towns, but the region's vital oil infrastructure was relatively unscathed.

Oil prices fell in special trading in New York on Sunday as fears that Rita would ravage the network of refineries off the coast of Texas proved unfounded.