Four people died and about a million were left without power as fierce thunderstorms swept through Texas on Thursday night, bringing heavy rain, destructive winds and dangerous flooding to many areas of the state that were already inundated in this month.
There were reports of blown out windows, a wall of an office building collapsing and downed power lines across Houston as a powerful storm tore through the city’s downtown area. Four people were killed, officials said at a news conference. According to Samuel Peña, the city’s fire chief, at least two people were killed by falling trees and one person was killed in an accident involving a crane that was toppled by strong winds.
The city’s mayor, John Whitmire, said at the meeting that much of Houston was devastated by winds reaching speeds of up to 100 miles per hour, rivaling speeds seen during Hurricane Ike, with “a number of intervening tornadoes. He said it will take at least 24 hours and possibly up to 48 hours in some areas of the city to restore power.
The public school district in Houston said all schools will be closed on Friday. Emergency responders warned residents to stay home, saying most traffic lights across the city were out and firefighters had to remove live power lines from main highways.
Local TV stations reported There was significant damage in downtown Houston, with metal sign poles twisted by wind forces and broken glass.
Forecasters have come up with a string flash flood warning across the state in the early afternoon, warning Texans in those areas to seek higher ground and avoid driving through flooded roads.
Pictures and video spread on social networks emerged from east central Texas on Thursday shows that the cars appear to be having difficulty drove through flooded streets in College Station, Texas, where flash flood warnings were in place throughout the evening.
One Video posted in the evening shows strong winds blowing away large panel structures at Minute Maid Park, where the Houston Astros are playing the Oakland Athletics.
The Weather forecast center said earlier Thursday that more than 12 million people across Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi faced the threat of excessive rainfall that could cause flash flooding and warned of the possibility of heavy rain and flooding further south. north Houston area Thursday night.
Lina Hidalgo, the top executive for Harris County, which includes Houston, said earlier social media Rain is expected to move through Harris County “pretty quickly” Thursday night.
“But the worst-case scenario is that heavy rain could hit the East Fork of the San Jacinto River, impacting residents and ultimately causing more flooding as we head into the weekend,” she said.
Parts of Harris County, including areas near the San Jacinto River, already have was affected by major floods in the first day of this month. The flooding prompted Hidalgo to issue a disaster declaration aimed at bringing federal aid to Harris County residents affected by the storm.
