Hurricane Beryl Live Coverage: Mayor Whitmire Issues Urgent Message to Houstonians to Stay Off the Roads After Deadly Storm

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Mayor John Whitmire delivered an urgent message to Houston residents as Beryl slammed into southeast Texas: “Stay safe.”

“We are in an emergency situation. We are in rescue mode. We need to keep people safe,” Whitmire said. “Don’t put our first responders in further danger.”

Beryl has since been downgraded to a tropical storm, but its power has not diminished.

The storm made landfall near Matagorda as a Category 1 hurricane.

It moved inland, quickly causing life-threatening conditions.

Three people were killed, including two people whose homes were hit by falling trees.

READ MORE: At least 2 people dead after trees fall on homes as Beryl moves through Houston area, Pct. 4 reports

The storm quickly flooded the Houston area, with Whitmire saying there was more than 10 inches of water across the city.

First responders also received several rescue calls, including one on northbound SH-288 at 610 South Loop, where a man was spotted on the roof of his truck in floodwaters.

Firefighters used a ladder to pull the man to safety as his truck sank into high water on Highway 288.

Driver rescued after getting stuck in floodwaters on Highway 288, vehicle remains stuck

Whitmire added that the city received more than 400 911 calls in one hour and that number is expected to increase. Residents are also asked to only use 911 in emergencies. Contact 311 or 211 for other issues.

City officials echoed Whitmire’s warnings, asking people to stay off the roads because of the debris.

“If you don’t need to be on the street, don’t drive on flooded roads,” Houston Fire Chief Samuel Peña said.

Another concern for first responders is the possibility of carbon monoxide calls due to people using generators, which should be kept away from homes and never brought indoors.

Meanwhile, the Houston Police Department said it made 15 flood rescue calls, saving eight people.

But the concern for many is how long the power outage will last, especially as night falls and temperatures rise.

CenterPoint reported more than 2.2 million customers without power as of 12:52 p.m.

The Houston Police Department said it will have officers in unmarked and unmarked vehicles to patrol areas without power.

Houston Public Works said at Monday morning’s briefing that while most of its facilities were running on backup generator power, the water supply was safe.

“Our streets are going to empty slower than we’re used to with an event like this,” said Randy Macchi, HPW’s chief operating officer, explaining that’s why they’re asking everyone to stay home.