GALVESTON, Texas, Sept. 16 (UPI) -- Galveston, Texas, city officials say they expect the death toll to rise as searchers go door to door looking for survivors of Hurricane Ike.

As waters recede and emergency crews expand their search areas, city officials said they movedt in a refrigerated mobile morgue, the Houston Chronicle reported Tuesday.

As of Monday, searchers have been through about 90 percent of the inundated neighborhoods but thousands of homes remain to be searched, the Chronicle said. Two people are confirmed dead and the fate of four others undetermined.

Galveston Mayor Lyda Ann Thomas warned that the city was unfit for habitation and wasn't allowing residents who fled from Ike to return.

"There is nothing to come here for right now," Thomas said. "Please leave. I am asking people to leave."

City officials were discussing whether to force people off Galveston Island. City Manager Steve LeBlanc said 15,000-20,000 residents of a population of about 60,000 remained Monday, while 3,000 were trying to get off the island, he said.

Officials said health conditions continue to deteriorate. Representatives from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta traveled to Galveston to assess the situation.

Thomas, meanwhile, limited media access to herself and LeBlanc, saying other city and emergency personnel were too busy to talk.

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