HOUSTON (AP) – Severe thunderstorms hit Southeast Texas on Thursday for the second time this month, killing at least four people, blowing out windows in high-rise buildings, toppling trees and leaving more than 900,000 homes and businesses without power. did. Houston area.
Authorities urged residents to stay off the roads, as many roads were impassable and traffic lights were expected to be out throughout the night.
“Stay home tonight. Don’t go to work tomorrow unless you are an essential worker. Stay home and take care of your children,” Houston Mayor John Whitmire said at an evening briefing. Told. “Our first responders will be working around the clock.”
The mayor said four people died due to the bad weather. Officials said at least two of the deaths were caused by falling trees and the other was caused by a crane toppling over in strong winds.
Roads were flooded and trees and power lines were downed throughout the area. Whitmire said wind speeds reached 100 mph (160 kph) and “we had some high winds.” He said the powerful wind gusts were reminiscent of Hurricane Ike in 2008, which hit the city.
Hundreds of windows were broken in downtown hotels and office buildings, and glass littered the streets below, and the state sent in Department of Public Safety officers to maintain order.
“Downtown is a mess,” Whitmire said.
There is a backlog of 911 calls that first responders are responding to, he added.
Minute Maid Park, home of the Houston Astros, had its retractable roof closed due to the storm. However, the wind was so strong that rain still blew into the stadium. Although puddles formed on the outfield warning track, the game against the Oakland Athletics was still played.
The Houston Independent School District canceled classes Friday for about 400,000 students across all 274 campuses.
Although the storm system moved through quickly, flood watches and warnings remained in place for Houston and areas east of it. The severe storm also reached neighboring Louisiana, leaving more than 215,000 customers without power.
Flights were temporarily suspended at Houston’s two major airports. Sustained winds exceeding 60 mph (96 kph) were recorded at Busch Intercontinental Airport.
About 900,000 customers were without power in and around Harris County, including Houston, according to poweroutage.us. This county is home to more than 4.7 million people.
Problems have spread to the city’s suburbs, with emergency officials in neighboring Montgomery County describing damage to power lines as “catastrophic” and warning that power could be affected for several days.
A severe storm hit the area during the first week of Maywhich led to numerous high-water rescues, including one from the roof of a flooded home.
___
Bauman reported from Bellingham, Wash., and Weber from Los Angeles.
