Galveston County Medical Examiner Stephen Pustilnik said Thursday that three more deaths were attributed to Hurricane Ike, bringing the state total to 22. Nationwide, 56 people have died.
Pustilnik said one victim drowned when the storm surge went through his house. Another was an alcoholic who died after he was deprived of alcohol. Toxicology tests were pending, but Pustilnik says he may have died from seizures.
The third new victim had Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease and died because medical care stopped, Pustilnik said. He said it it's still unclear whether there will be many or few more bodies found.
"It's very much unknown," he said. "There are large parts of the county that haven't been searched. Just like in Katrina and Rita, debris has to be sifted through."
