* Texas death toll reaches 30

* Bush surveys damage to Texas coast

* Several offshore oil platforms damaged

By Tabassum Zakaria and Carey Gillam

GALVESTON, Texas, Sept 16 (Reuters) - The death toll in the wake of Hurricane Ike rose to 30 in Texas on Tuesday as officials in Galveston warned of a growing health threat on the island city that took a direct hit from the huge storm.

Monster waves and howling winds from Ike damaged several offshore oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico, a sign that the full recovery of oil and natural gas production in the region could be delayed. There was some refinery damage as well but not as much as feared.

President George W. Bush surveyed the damage from the air and pledged swift federal aid to the millions of people living around the energy hub of Houston who are facing their fourth day without electricity or clean water.

"It's a tough situation on the coast," Bush said at a Houston airfield before viewing the storm-damaged areas. The federal government will pay for debris removal and other recovery efforts, he said.

Local TV station KTRK said officials cited 20 deaths in Galveston and Brazoria counties where Ike hit on Saturday. There were previously five confirmed dead in Galveston, a city of 60,000 left without functioning toilets and running water after it was smashed by the storm.

In Harris County, which includes greater Houston, the medical examiner confirmed 10 deaths from storm-related causes, including carbon monoxide poisoning from indoor generators.

U.S. media reported dozens of deaths including many in Ohio as Ike's remnants moved inland.

Houston was slowly getting back on its feet though it remained a long way from "business as usual" with many gas stations still shut because of a lack of power or fuel. Mayor Bill White asked residents not to "hoard" supplies.

Traffic flows into the downtown slowly picked up as workers trickled back to offices. A curfew was pared back and the Federal Emergency Management Agency said 70 percent of Houston residents could have power restored by the end of the week.

FEMA also announced it would would start paying hotel expenses for people whose homes were "inaccessible or unlivable."

Across from Galveston, officials said some 250 to 300 people were stranded on the Bolivar Peninsula, a spit of land where Ike wiped out rows of beach homes.

There were no confirmed fatalities there, though in an odd twist officials reported a pet tiger was roaming its beaches.

Months before he leaves office, Bush is trying to rebuild his image as a disaster manager after being widely criticized for a botched relief effort in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina killed about 1,500 people in 2005.

It was Bush's third visit in two weeks to view the storm-battered Gulf Coast after he canceled an appearance at the Republican National Convention to view damage wrought by Hurricane Gustav earlier this month.

Although federal aid was rolling in, Houston's mayor remained frustrated with delays. "There are great people working at FEMA ... Let's just say some people may not be appropriate for their responsibilities," White said.

'HEALTH CRISIS'

In Galveston, officials warned of a health hazard due to a lack of clean water and sanitation, urging the estimated 15,000 remaining to leave.

"We have a blossoming health and medical concern," said Galveston Mayor Lyda Ann Thomas. "We are not going to go in somebody's house and drag them off the island. But they need to consider the risks they are taking by staying here."

Some residents seemed determined to stick it out.

"I have no car. I can't get off the island," said Chris Rockaway, 23, cleaning up debris. "I made it through the worst part. I can suffer through this."

Toilets in Galveston had not flushed for four days and a medical officer warned of emerging cases of diarrhea.

The town was the scene of a 1900 hurricane that killed at least 8,000 in the worst weather disaster in U.S. history.

The energy market took reports of damage to energy infrastructure in stride on a day dominated by worries about financial markets. U.S. crude oil fell more than $4 per barrel to $91.15 a barrel, the lowest level since Feb. 8. (Additional reporting by Anna Driver in Galveston, and Bruce Nichols, Mary Milliken and Erwin Seba in Houston, Writing by Ed Stoddard and Chris Baltimore; Editing by Chris Wilson)

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