HOUSTON - Mario Williams dodged downed trees to get out of his neighborhood and worried about the safety and security of his home as he left for practice with a tree splayed on one end of it.

He and the rest of the Houston Texans returned to practice Tuesday for the first time since Hurricane Ike, trying to concentrate on football when most didn't have electricity and many were dealing with significant damage to their homes.

"I feel very lucky," said Williams, the top overall pick in 2006. "My area is very bad. There's tons of trees that are down, lots of trees that fell through houses, but thank goodness no one was injured."

Williams said a tree crashed into his house during the storm, but he's still living there despite the damage and lack of electricity.

"It's really difficult, not just for myself, but for everyone," he said. "You've got to go work and you've got to make a living. But at the same time you're thinking: 'I hope my place is still all right.' "

The Texans had been off since Thursday night. They returned to work Tuesday on their practice field across the street from Reliant Stadium, whose retractable roof lost five pieces in the storm allowing large chunks of debris to fall into it.

They had a more than hour-long workout in the shadow of the damaged stadium where dozens of 18-wheelers lined up to prepare to fan out and distribute food and supplies to areas that were ravaged in the storm.

Defensive tackle Travis Johnson's home was destroyed in the hurricane. He lives in a suburb near the home of Williams' mother, whose roof was torn off during Ike.

"I lost the shingles first and then the water started coming in before my ceiling collapsed," he said.

The Texans travel to face the Titans on Sunday after moving last weekend's game with Baltimore to Nov. 9. General manager Rick Smith said he's gotten advice on how to deal with his team in the wake of the hurricane from something of an expert on the subject.

The Texans are hoping that repairs to their damaged stadium can be completed in time for their next home game against Indianapolis on Oct. 5.

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