At least 4 dead as powerful storms ravage city

Fierce thunderstorms wreaked havoc in Houston on Thursday, with at least four dead and nearly a million homes and businesses without power as high winds tore down trees and damaged buildings while torrential rain flooded the streets.

Houston Mayor John Whitmire confirmed the deaths during an evening briefing. He also advised workers to stay home on Friday and said classes would also be canceled. “Stay home tonight,” Whitmire said. “Don’t go to work tomorrow unless you are an essential worker.”

Houston Fire Chief Samuel Peña said initial information suggested two of the deaths were caused by falling trees. A third was caused by a crane “tipped over” by high winds, Peña added. No information was given on how the fourth victim was killed.

“We have a storm with 100 mile per hour winds, the equivalent of Hurricane Ike,” Whitmire said, adding that “a few tornadoes” also hit. He said there was “extensive damage to the city centre” which left broken glass on the ground, calling the area a “mess”.

He also said authorities were having difficulty Thursday evening with “traffic control” as most of the city’s traffic signals stopped working and will be offline for hours. Whitmire praised the “courageous” actions of firefighters who put their lives on the line to remove live wires from Route 290.

First responders are now working “around the clock” to bring people to safety amid the destruction, Whitemire said.

Videos and images of the damage were shared online as the storm raged. Terrifying footage purporting to show the scene at Wells Fargo Plaza downtown showed swirling debris and windows shattering in howling winds. Other clips showed roads and sidewalks glistening with shards of glass. Rain also reportedly poured into Minute Maid Park despite the retractable roof being closed.

The Houston Independent School District announced Friday that campuses would be closed to its hundreds of thousands of students due to “widespread damage in Houston.”

Flights were also temporarily grounded at Houston’s two main airports. Bush International Airport warned that delays “are expected” even after the storm begins to dissipate, while William P. Hobby Airport gave travelers a similar update.

“Please do not drive in downtown Houston this evening, or anywhere else in the area that experienced storm damage,” the National Weather Service office in Houston said. “Debris, glass and power lines are strewn across the streets. »