A video photojournalist documents the damage to a tire shop at the intersection of Soden and Bingle streets after severe storms hit Houston on Friday.
Brett Coomer/Associated Press
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Brett Coomer/Associated Press
A video photojournalist documents the damage to a tire shop at the intersection of Soden and Bingle streets after severe storms hit Houston on Friday.
Brett Coomer/Associated Press
HOUSTON — Thousands of people in the Houston area are working to clean up and restore power after a deadly storm, but that began Saturday as all of South Texas begins to feel the heat under smog warnings. Masu.
The National Weather Service in Houston warned that people should be aware of the symptoms of heat stroke as temperatures reach around 90 degrees (32.2 degrees Celsius) this weekend. “Please do not overexert yourself during the cleaning process,” the post on social platform X said.
More than 555,000 homes and businesses remained without power Friday night, down from nearly 1 million, according to PowerOutage.us, with mild weather a cause for concern in the region. On Thursday, a ferocious storm with winds up to 100 miles per hour blew out windows in downtown and a tornado touched down near Cypress, a northwest Houston suburb.
At least four people were killed as the storm battered Harris County, which includes Houston. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said Friday it could be “weeks” before power is restored in some areas.
Power lines can be seen knocked out due to severe thunderstorms near Houston on Friday.
David J. Phillip/Associated Press
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David J. Phillip/Associated Press
Power lines can be seen knocked out due to severe thunderstorms near Houston on Friday.
David J. Phillip/Associated Press
Hidalgo urged patience as several power transmission towers were down. An additional 26,000 customers lost power in Louisiana, where strong winds and suspected tornadoes caused power outages, down from a peak of 215,000.
“We're going to have to talk about this disaster in weeks, not days,” Hidalgo said.
She said she heard “horrible stories of just fear and helplessness” as the storm passed. The weather service also reported straight-line winds of up to 100 mph (161 kph) in the Baytown suburbs and Galena Park.
The Houston Health Department announced it will be distributing 400 free portable air conditioners to area seniors, people with disabilities, and caregivers of children with disabilities.
In addition to the heat, the Houston area is also being warned of poor air quality over the weekend. Meanwhile, in the east, heavy rain is possible from eastern Louisiana to central Alabama, and parts of Louisiana were warned of flash flooding into Saturday.
Widespread destruction brought much of Houston to a standstill. Trees, debris and broken glass littered the streets. The brick walls of one building were ripped out.
A man walks through fallen bricks from a damaged building during a severe thunderstorm in Houston on Friday.
David J. Phillip/Associated Press
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David J. Phillip/Associated Press
A man walks through fallen bricks from a damaged building during a severe thunderstorm in Houston on Friday.
David J. Phillip/Associated Press
Houston-area school districts canceled classes for more than 400,000 students on Friday, and government offices also shut down. City officials urged people to avoid downtown and stay away from roads, many of which are flooded and lined with downed power lines and broken traffic lights.
Houston Mayor John Whitmire warned that police were on the scene, including state troopers sent to the area to prevent looting. He said the speed and intensity of the storm caught many people off guard.
“Most Houstonians have not had the time to protect themselves from danger,” Whitmire said at a news conference.
Noel Delgado was picked up Thursday night by Houston Pets Alive, the animal rescue organization where she is executive director, and the more than 30 dogs and cats in total were uninjured, but their awnings were ripped off. The sign was torn up and flooded with water. It was leaking inside. She hoped to find foster homes for the animals.
“It was clear to me that this storm was a little different,” she said. “I felt horrible.”
Yesenia Guzman worried about getting paid as the power remained out at the restaurant where she works in the Houston suburb of Katy.
“You never really know what's going to happen,” she says.
Whitmire signed a disaster declaration, clearing the way for state and federal storm recovery assistance. President Joe Biden also issued a disaster declaration for seven Texas counties, including Harris, due to severe storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes and flooding since April 26. His actions made federal funds available to those affected by the storm.
Emergency officials in neighboring Montgomery County called the damage to power lines “catastrophic.”
High-voltage transmission towers were ripped apart and power lines were cut, power and energy expert Alexandria von Mayer said, which was unusual. This poses a dual challenge for power companies. This is because the damage affected the power transmission and distribution systems. Von Mayer said damage to only the power distribution system is more typical.
How quickly repairs occur depends on a variety of factors, including the time it takes to assess damage, equipment replacement, roadwork access issues, and labor availability. CenterPoint Energy had deployed 1,000 employees on Friday and requested 5,000 additional line workers and vegetation specialists.
