Brazil is committed to quickly repairing key ports damaged in massive floods in order to recoup millions of dollars in daily losses to the economy, a government official said Tuesday.

A 30-mile scar of debris along the Texas coast stands as a festering testament to what state and local officials say is FEMA's sluggish response to the 2008 hurricane season.

Residents and tourists in Venice waded through knee-deep water Monday as they navigated the city's narrow streets and alleys, and its historic St. Mark's Square was inundated.

In New Orleans, a warning to flee emptied the city before Hurricane Gustav in early September. In Houston, a plea to "hunker down" might have kept evacuation routes from clogging before Hurricane Ike struck.

Forecasters are warning it might be a wet ride home for Thanksgiving holiday travelers on the East Coast Sunday.

The 2008 Atlantic hurricane season, which ends Sunday, appears to have attained Olympian heights, setting at least five weather records in the United States and Cuba.