GALVESTON, TEXAS (AP) -- Local officials in Galveston have stressed to former presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton that they sorely need federal assistance in recovering from Hurricane Ike.

Bush and Clinton were in Galveston on Tuesday, getting a firsthand look at the storm damage and meeting with city and county leaders.

During a brief meeting at a community center that's been turned into FEMA headquarters, the local officials say they asked Bush and Clinton to use their influence in any way to help them get aid. The meeting was closed to reporters.

The money is needed to rebuild a tourist economy that suffered when beaches were washed away and businesses were damaged by the Sept. 13 hurricane.

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