Houston cleans up as heat risk rises

HOUSTON — As the Houston area works to clean up and restore power to hundreds of thousands after deadly storms left at least seven dead, it will do so amid warnings of smog and rising temperatures which could pose health risks.

National Weather Service meteorologist Marc Chenard said Saturday that high temperatures of around 90 degrees were expected through the start of the coming week, with heat indexes likely near 100 degrees by midweek.

“We expect the heat impact to gradually increase…we will start to see that heat risk increase from Tuesday through Wednesday into Friday,” Chenard said.

The heat index is how the human body feels when humidity is combined with air temperature, according to the weather service.

“Don’t overdo it during the cleanup process,” the Houston Weather Service office said in a message posted on the social platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

The Houston Department of Health announced it will distribute 400 free portable air conditioners to area seniors, people with disabilities and people who care for children with disabilities to cope with the heat.

Five cooling centers were also opened: four in Houston and one in Kingwood.

Widespread destruction from Thursday’s storms paralyzed much of Houston. Thunderstorms and hurricane-force winds ravaged the city, and a tornado touched down near Cypress, a northwest suburb of Houston.

More than half a million homes and businesses in Texas remained without power as of midday Saturday, according to PowerOutage.us. Another 21,000 customers were also without power in Louisiana, where high winds and a suspected tornado struck.

CenterPoint Energy, which has deployed 1,000 employees to the region and is requesting 5,000 more, said restoring power could take several days, or longer in some areas, and that customers should make sure their homes can be reconnected safely.

“In addition to damaging CenterPoint Energy’s infrastructure and electrical equipment, the weather may have caused damage to customer-owned equipment” such as the weather head, where electricity enters the home, the company said. Company.

Destroyed high-voltage transmission towers and downed power lines pose a double challenge for utility companies because the damage has affected transmission and distribution systems, according to electricity and energy expert Alexandria von Meier , who called it a rare thing. Damage to the distribution system is more common, von Meier said.

Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez reported Friday evening that three people died during the storm, including an 85-year-old woman whose home caught fire after being struck by lightning and a 60-year-old man who attempted to use his vehicle for fuel. its oxygen tank.

Houston Mayor John Whitmire previously said at least four other people were killed in the city when storms swept through Harris County, which includes Houston.

Houston-area school districts canceled classes Friday for more than 400,000 students and government offices were closed.

Houston Independent School District Superintendent Mike Miles said Saturday that he hopes to reopen schools Monday, but that depends on power being restored to school buildings.

In light of the storm’s damage, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo and Whitmire both signed disaster declarations, paving the way for state and federal recovery assistance following the storm .

A separate disaster declaration from President Joe Biden makes federal funding available to residents in seven Texas counties that have been hit by severe storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes and flooding since April 26.

Information for this article was provided by Jamie Stengle, Valerie Gonzalez and Lisa Baumann of The Associated Press.

A crane sits on top of a cement truck, Friday, May 17, 2024, in Houston, at an address where authorities say a man was killed when a crane fell on the cement truck he was in was sitting out during the storm the night before. (Jon Shapley/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Power lines were twisted and toppled after powerful storms swept through the Houston area Saturday, May 18, 2024, in Cypress, Texas. As the Houston area works to clean up and restore power to hundreds of thousands of people, it will do so amid a smog warning and increasing heat in Texas. (AP Photo/Mark Vancleave)

The wall of a tire store at the intersection of Sowden and Bingle is destroyed following a severe storm Friday, May 17, 2024 in Houston. Widespread destruction paralyzed much of Houston as crews raced to restore power and remove uprooted trees and debris. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Fans head to Minute Maid Park as a severe thunderstorm hits before a baseball game between the Oakland Athletics and the Houston Astros, Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Houston. (Karen Warren/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Downed power lines are visible following a severe thunderstorm Friday, May 17, 2024 in Cypress, Texas, near Houston. Thunderstorms slammed southeast Texas on Thursday, killing at least four people, blowing out windows of high-rise buildings and knocking out power to more than 900,000 homes and businesses in the Houston area. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Cheryl Herpich takes a photo of a downtown building whose windows blew out following a severe thunderstorm Friday, May 17, 2024, in Houston. Thunderstorms slammed southeast Texas on Thursday, killing at least four people, blowing out windows of high-rise buildings and knocking out power to more than 900,000 homes and businesses in the Houston area. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Blown out windows of a downtown high-rise building are shown following a severe thunderstorm Friday, May 17, 2024, in Houston. Thunderstorms slammed southeast Texas on Thursday, killing at least four people, blowing out windows of high-rise buildings and knocking out power to more than 900,000 homes and businesses in the Houston area. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Blown out windows of a downtown high-rise building are shown following a severe thunderstorm Friday, May 17, 2024, in Houston. Thunderstorms slammed southeast Texas on Thursday, killing at least four people, blowing out windows of high-rise buildings and knocking out power to more than 900,000 homes and businesses in the Houston area. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Carrie Jenkins stands in her living room in the light of her open front door, the only light in her home since the power went out the night before following a severe storm, Friday, May 17, 2024 in Houston. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP)