4 dead as severe storms hit Houston area; nearly 1 million without power in Texas
Four people are dead and nearly 1 million customers are without power in Texas as severe storms slammed the Houston area Thursday night.
Two deaths were caused by fallen trees and one was from a crane accident, Houston Fire Chief Samuel Peña said at a Thursday night news briefing.
Peña noted that these are not official causes of death, but are the preliminary indications of how three of the four people died. No information was provided on the fourth death.
The heavy rains and powerful storms also flooded streets and busted windows and glass on downtown buildings.
Mayor John Whitmire said the city saw “80, 90, 100 mile per hour storms,” and said “some twisters” were “mixed into strong winds.”
He urged those in his city to stay home and off the roads at the briefing.
“Stay at home, do not travel on the roads. It’s dark, there’s trees across roadways … So be very patient, cautious, look out for one another, stay at home tonight, don’t go to work tomorrow unless you’re an essential worker,” he said.
Schools in the Houston Independent School District will be closed Friday, Whitmire said.
