Seven dead after powerful storms hit Houston, Texas

The storms killed seven people and left more than half a million homes and businesses without power in southeast Texas.

Area residents could be without power for weeks after Thursday’s storm, which brought winds of 110 mph (177 km/h), authorities said.

The deaths were mainly caused by downed trees, power lines and lightning.

The storm moved toward neighboring Louisiana and flood warnings were in place for the Gulf Coast.

In an update Friday evening, authorities announced the deaths of three more people, bringing the death toll to seven.

An 85-year-old woman died in a fire caused by lightning, a 57-year-old man died trying to move a damaged power pole, and another man who needed oxygen was found unconscious after losing power .

Authorities earlier said two people died from falling trees and another person was killed by a falling crane.

Christin Martinez, 31, a mother of four, was killed when a tree fell on her car.

“She told her husband she wanted to get out and move the car because there was an old tree there, a very large tree, and she was worried it was going to fall,” said Lt. R Willkens from the Houston Police Department.

“Unfortunately, when she got into the car, it fell while she was inside.”

Ms. Martinez leaves behind three boys aged 8, 10 and 12 and a baby who she was still breastfeeding.

At Friday’s news conference, Texas Judge Lina Hidalgo, Harris County’s top government official, said at least two tornadoes struck the area Thursday evening.

In Houston, traffic lights were out Friday, office windows blown out and glass strewn across city streets.

The Houston Independent School District canceled school Friday.

Flash flood and severe thunderstorm warnings were issued in several counties, according to the National Weather Service office in Houston.

As of Friday evening, around 600,000 homes and businesses were without power, compared to nearly a million customers the day before.

The vast majority of outages occurred in Harris County, which includes Houston and is home to more than 4.7 million residents.

Judge Hidalgo said winds reached speeds the region had not seen since Hurricane Alicia in 1983.

Harris County libraries will remain open over the weekend to serve as cooling centers and provide electricity to residents, officials said.

Temperatures in Houston were mild on Friday, but are expected to rise over the weekend along with increased humidity.

The storm left 29,000 homes without power in neighboring Louisiana Friday evening.

Baton Rouge, New Orleans and Gulfport were most at risk for flash flooding, according to the National Weather Service.

This is the second time in six weeks that a deadly storm has swept through the Houston area. Last month, a tornado struck suburban Katy, killing one person and injuring 10 others.