Southeastern Texas was battered by strong thunderstorms on Thursday that left at least four people dead and hundreds of thousands of people without power. It was the second time in less than a month that Texas experienced such devastating weather.
The storm system left a trail of destruction with numerous downed trees, damages to high-rise buildings in Texas cities, and left over one million people in the Houston area without power, according to reports.
“If you lived through the core of these winds, you went through the equivalent of a Cat 1, if not a Cat. 2 hurricane,” said David Paul, Chief Meteorologist for KHOU 11.
Several tornado warnings were issued for the area by the National Weather Service, but no tornadoes were reported. Strong winds estimated to be 70 miles per hour and higher were believed to be behind the carnage in the area. Houston Mayor John Whitmire encouraged people to stay inside and off the road and told people not to go to work tomorrow.
“Stay at home tonight. Do not go to work tomorrow unless you’re an essential worker. Stay home, take care of your children,” Whitmire said during a press conference on Thursday evening. “Our first responders will be working around the clock.”
Whitmire also announced the deaths of the four people due to the storms. Two people died from falling trees, and another person was killed when strong winds caused a crane to blow over. It was not reported on how the fourth fatality occurred.
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Numerous streets were flooded, and hotels and office buildings in Houston’s downtown area were reportedly severely damaged by the storms. Debris from the damaged buildings was scattered throughout the city’s streets. Texas had deployed its Department of Public Safety officers to the area to provide assistance.
According to reports, all classes in the Houston Independent School District were canceled Friday because of the storms.
