(Adds Galveston and Houston Ship Channel not hit as badly as expected, quote on death toll)

WASHINGTON, Sept 13 (Reuters) - U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said there were unconfirmed reports of "a few deaths" from Hurricane Ike, which slammed the Texas coast on Saturday.

"We have already heard some initial reports of a few deaths," he said. "Obviously one death is more than we want to hear about."

Chertoff cited "significant surges" and damage in Texas and Louisiana.

"This has been a very dangerous storm. There will be a lot of rain and the rain will continue to cause flooding problems," Chertoff told reporters.

He refused to say whether he expected the death toll to rise.

"I don't want to speculate," Chertoff said. "If someone stayed in an area predicted to be largely flooded, they put their lives at risk."

Chertoff said there had been less damage than expected in the city of Galveston and the Houston Ship Channel. "The impact ... was not quite as bad as the worst-case scenario, it was still substantial." (Reporting by Richard Cowan; Editing by Frances Kerry)

AlertNet news is provided by