HOUSTON — Streets in downtown Houston were littered with glass, insulation and twisted metal debris on Friday, after a violent thunderstorm complex ripped through the city and surrounding area the evening before. At least seven people were killed, and hundreds of thousands of customers were without power as officials warned it would take time to know the full extent of the toll.
The storm’s path could be traced by the damage it left behind: swaths of shattered windows in high rises and parked cars, trees ripped up by the roots or trunks bent almost horizontal.
“I’ve never seen windows blow out like this, even in a hurricane,” said Danny Treviño, 47, a Houston native out with his rescue dog, Zed.
Houston Mayor John Whitmire said at least four people were killed by the storm and that state resources were requested to help with the recovery. At least two were killed by falling trees, and a third was killed by a falling crane, officials said. The Harris County Sheriff’s Office reported an additional three fatalities Friday evening that were all considered to be indirectly or directly tied to the storm.
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The storm toppled 10 power transmission towers throughout the region and cut power for 930,000 customers at its peak Thursday evening. Most of the power outages were concentrated in Harris County. About 600,000 customers in the county were still without power as of Friday afternoon, and more than 40,000 customers in the surrounding counties had also lost power.
Restoring electricity could take “weeks and not days,” Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said in a news conference Friday morning. Officials had initially predicted it would take up to 48 hours for power to return.
“There’s a lot we know, and there’s a lot we don’t know,” Hidalgo said. Officials are still working to determine the number of injuries and whether there are any additional fatalities related to the storm, as well as the timeline for power restoration. Hidalgo repeatedly urged residents to be patient with officials and crews as they work to gather information and restore power.
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She warned there will be “some people in Harris County who will have to go a couple of weeks without power.”
President Biden on Friday night approved a major disaster declaration for Texas and ordered federal aid to boost ongoing recovery efforts “in the areas affected by severe storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes and flooding” that have been ongoing since April 26.
Meteorologists compared some of the damage from the storm to devastating hurricanes that previously hit Houston, such as Ike in 2008 and Alicia in 1983.
Treviño, who works in the medical field, lost power at the start of the storm and drove downtown to join his girlfriend, avoiding downed trees and blocked roads.
“It happened all so fast, and it did all this damage. This kind of emergency doesn’t happen downtown,” Treviño said, surveying the street with a half-dozen other onlookers and people headed to work. “You’re always thinking the concrete jungle is protected. Not last night.”
Elsewhere downtown, Andre Simonian had come to check on his family’s two Salata restaurants. The restaurants were fine. But the streets were a mess. He marveled at a man jogging through the storm detritus.
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“I wanted to see the damage done to the city and to check on our employees, what they would go through” coming to work, he said. Once he saw the debris, “I told them, ‘Don’t even come in.’ I’m kind of scared to even be walking here, because what if more glass falls?”
Hidalgo said the area got “unlucky last night in terms of what ended up happening with the weather.” She added, “For folks without power … it’s uncomfortable and it’s sticky, but we’ll get through it.”
A few miles from downtown, residents in the Heights neighborhood were surveying widespread damage from the storm. In an area known for its historic homes and tree-lined streets, a couple said a 60-foot-tree had toppled on their house and opened up the attic.
Sarah and Charlie Blanchard hid with their five-month-old in their bathroom when the storm warning went off, and the winds began to hit. The tree fell as they hid there — at first, they weren’t sure what to make of the loud boom.
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As of Friday, they were staying with friends who live nearby and have a generator, as they have no power.
Local schools are closed Friday “due to widespread damage” across the city, the Houston Independent School District said on social media. Officials had encouraged businesses to let employees work from home.
In Friday updates, Jeff Evans, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Houston, said much of the damage came from straight-line winds. Later in the day, the Weather Service confirmed to reporters that there were straight-line winds of at least 100 mph that blew through the downtown area Thursday. Evans also confirmed that there was a tornado in Cypress, in the northwest Harris County area, where high-voltage electrical transmission towers were toppled.
Overnight, crews restored power to more than 180,000 customers, CenterPoint Energy, Houston’s leading electricity provider, said on social media. An estimated 2,500 traffic lights are down in the area, Whitmire said during an update Friday morning.
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The prospect of enduring lengthy power outages is a concern as temperatures rise in Houston over the next several days, especially for vulnerable groups such as older adults. Temperatures are forecast to rise to highs of 90 to 94 degrees over the weekend and remain that hot next week. When stifling levels of humidity are factored in, it will feel even hotter.
“Heat index values will be on the rise too, initially peaking in the upper 90s to around 100 on Sunday then rising to generally around a 100 to 105 range Monday through Thursday,” the Weather Service office serving Houston wrote Friday. “Be sure to check in on your family/friends/neighbors, especially those that are vulnerable, to be sure that they have ways to stay cool.”
By Tuesday of next week, the Weather Service is predicting a Level 3 out of 4 “major” heat risk in Houston affecting “anyone without effective cooling and/or adequate hydration.”
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Fifteen public libraries across Harris County opened on Friday and will serve as cooling centers and areas for electricity throughout the weekend, officials said.
The same storm system also prompted numerous severe thunderstorm, tornado and flash flood warnings north and east of Houston. Storms extended into southern Louisiana, where there were reports of damage including downed trees and power lines from Lafayette to New Orleans, where winds gusted over 80 mph. A confirmed tornado struck near Convent, La., about 45 miles west of New Orleans, and it toppled trees and power lines. As of Friday afternoon, more than 40,000 customers were without power in Louisiana.
Forecasters had warned for days that dangerous storms would affect Texas and Louisiana on Thursday, but the primary concern was flooding. The Weather Service issued a rare “high risk” alert for excessive rainfall for parts of the area. While the agency received dozens of reports of flooding between Dallas and New Orleans, the intense thunderstorms that raked the Houston area will probably end up as the most damaging and costly aspect of the storm. The Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center received more than 100 reports of damaging winds, including a number of gusts over 80 mph, throughout Texas and southern Louisiana on Thursday.
Stephanie Gutierrez, who lives in an apartment complex in Houston’s Heights neighborhood, said she is used to keeping a close eye on weather.
The past few days, there have been multiple tornado warnings, only for it to be “just another rainstorm.” On Thursday, Gutierrez got home from work in the midafternoon and took a nap — only to wake up just before the storm hit. Just as the winds were picking up, she ran to her car to get a power bank for her phone. As she ran back to her apartment, a leasing sign thrown by the winds hit her in the face.
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“It was so quick,” Gutierrez said. “It almost felt unreal.”
On Friday, she did not have power or cell service and said “power is my biggest concern.” Because her stove and water system are on electric, she has no hot water, and can’t use her stove.
“I can’t imagine how long it’s going to take to clean up,” Gutierrez said. “It makes me scared for hurricane season.”
The severe storms formed along a front that stalled on the northern Gulf Coast. Warm, humid air surging north out of the Gulf of Mexico collided with cooler, drier air north of the front, inciting the storm formation. This steamy air also spread over South Florida, setting numerous records.
A few additional intense storms are probable Friday across parts of the Gulf Coast and Mississippi Delta along the same front that brought Thursday’s severe weather.
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A Level 2 out of 5 risk of severe thunderstorms has been drawn by the Storm Prediction Center for southeast Louisiana, including New Orleans and Baton Rouge; southern Mississippi including Gulfport; southern Alabama, including Mobile; southwestern Georgia; and the Florida Panhandle.
The main concern will be for strong to locally damaging gusts of 50 to 60 mph and hail up to quarter size, though an isolated tornado can’t be ruled out. Friday’s setup is a bit more removed from high-altitude jet stream energy, meaning there won’t be as much support for significant straight-line winds like those that slammed Houston on Thursday.
Waves of heavy rain will also accompany storms riding along the slow-moving front. That’s why a flood watch remains in effect for southern Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida Panhandle.
Additional strong to severe storms are possible across the Southeast on Saturday before the front finally shifts into the Atlantic.
Ajasa and Samenow reported from Washington and Ables reported from Seoul. Matthew Cappucci in Washington and Helier Cheung in London contributed to this report.
