Power outages could last for weeks in parts of Houston, according to an official’s warning on Friday, after thunderstorms with hurricane-force winds ripped through the city. The storms knocked out electricity to nearly 1 million homes and businesses in the region, blew out windows on downtown high-rises, and flipped vehicles.
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, the county’s top elected official, said crews were still assessing the extent of the damage and the number of casualties. Houston Mayor John Whitmire reported that four, and possibly five, people were killed after the storms swept through the county, which includes Houston, on Thursday.
Whitmire described the storm as “fierce,” “intense,” and “quick,” leaving most Houstonians with little time to seek shelter. With multiple transmission towers down, Hidalgo urged patience as thousands of utility workers headed to the area to restore power. Approximately 200,000 customers had already had their power restored, while another 100,000 customers in Louisiana were still without power, down from a peak of 215,000.
The widespread destruction brought much of Houston to a standstill, with trees, debris, and shattered glass littering the streets. School districts in the Houston area canceled classes for more than 400,000 students, and government offices were closed. City officials urged people to avoid downtown and stay off roads, many of which were flooded or lined with downed power lines and malfunctioning traffic lights.
At least two of the deaths were caused by falling trees, and another occurred when a crane blew over in strong winds. The problems extended to the city’s suburbs, with emergency officials in neighboring Montgomery County describing the damage to transmission lines as “catastrophic.”
The storms were not over on Friday, with Gulf Coast states facing the possibility of scattered, severe thunderstorms with tornadoes, large hail, and damaging winds. Heavy to excessive rainfall was also possible for eastern Louisiana into central Alabama, according to the National Weather Service. Flood watches and warnings remained in effect for Houston and areas to the east.
National Weather Service meteorologist Jeff Evans said the agency had not yet confirmed any tornadoes touching down in and around Houston and Harris County, attributing most of the damage to straight-line winds that could have reached up to 100 mph (160 kph).