Houston storm: Four dead and nearly a million without power as a severe storm hits Texas

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At least four people have died after a powerful storm hit Texas, packing devastating winds that blew out windows, toppled trees and left nearly a million people without power.

The fast-moving storm, the second to hit Houston this month, ripped through southeast Texas on Thursday, packing wind gusts of up to 100 miles per hour (160 km/h), matching those of Hurricane Ike in 2008 killed almost 200 people.

The National Weather Service warned of “dangerous and life-threatening flash flooding” in eastern Texas and western Louisiana.

The storm flooded streets and downed power lines and trees, leaving nearly a million residents in Houston and surrounding areas in the dark.

Officials urged residents to stay off the streets as many of them were impassable and traffic lights were expected to be out most of the night.

“Stay home tonight and do not go to work tomorrow unless you are an essential worker. Stay home and take care of your children,” Houston Mayor John Whitmire said in an evening briefing.

“Our first responders will be on duty around the clock.”

The mayor confirmed that four people died in the storm. At least two of the deaths were caused by falling trees, and another occurred when a crane fell in high winds, officials said.

Photos and videos on social media showed extensive damage to homes and buildings. Hundreds of windows in downtown hotels and office buildings were broken, the Associated Press reported, and glass littered the streets below.

In downtown Houston, a guest at the Hyatt Regency shared a video of water flowing inside after wind blew out the windows.

“Downtown is a mess,” Mr. Whitmire said.

The mayor said there was a backlog of emergency calls being handled by first responders while the state deployed Department of Public Safety officers to secure the area.

The Houston Independent School District, the largest public school system in Texas, said it would cancel classes Friday.

About 855,000 customers in and around Harris County, which includes Houston, were without power, according to poweroutage.us.

In sprawling suburban areas, emergency officials said damage to transmission lines was “catastrophic” and warned that power could be affected for several days. Flights were briefly suspended at Houston’s two major airports, the AP reported. Sustained wind speeds of over 60 mph were recorded at Bush Intercontinental Airport.

The storm system passed quickly, but flood warnings and warnings remained in effect for Houston and areas to the east. Severe thunderstorm warnings have been issued for much of Louisiana.

This is the second storm to hit Texas this month. During the first week of May, the region was hit by severe storms, resulting in numerous flood rescues, including some from the roofs of flooded homes.

Previous heavy rains, floods and tornadoes also brought the area to a standstill in April.