Health
Hurricane Beryl Impact: Two Deaths Reported, Millions Without Power in Southeast Texas
Hurricane Beryl hits southeast Texas, causing two deaths, power outages for over two million, and warnings of destructive winds, heavy rain, and storm surges. Flight cancellations and ongoing flooding reported.
5 min read
Originally published by nationnews.com (opens in new tab)
At least two people have died as Hurricane Beryl slammed into southeast Texas, knocking out power for more than two million people while bringing heavy rain and fierce wind gusts.
When Beryl first hit Texas on Monday morning, it landed as a category one hurricane but has since been downgraded to a tropical storm.
Officials have warned of destructive winds, up to 15in (38cm) of rain and “life-threatening” storm surges.
More than 1,300 flights at Houston’s largest airport have been cancelled.
The state governor’s office has repeatedly urged residents not to underestimate the storm, which caused at least 10 deaths in the Caribbean days before.
In Texas, a 53-year-old man died after ripping winds downed powerlines and knocked a tree onto his home in Harris County, causing his roof to collapse.
In the same county, which includes parts of Houston, a 74-year-old woman was also reported dead after a tree crashed through the roof of her home. The police were notified by the woman’s granddaughter.
On Monday, police in one Houston suburb had already begun conducting water rescues as the hurricane continued to pound the state.
According to US forecaster AccuWeather, landfalling hurricanes of this kind are somewhat rare for Texas in July.
Houston is a low-lying coastal city, making it prone to flooding.
Sustained wind speeds in the Houston area had reached 75mph (120km/h) with wind gusts reaching 87mph (140km/h).
Torrential rainfall and flash flooding have also occurred in areas where inches of rain fell in just a few hours.
The storm is expected to lose strength as it gradually tracks north-northeast but flash flooding and heavy rain remains a risk.
More than 2.7 million customers in Texas are without power as of Monday afternoon, according to poweroutage.us.
At Bush Intercontinental Airport, Houston’s largest airport, 1,097 flights were cancelled, according to flightaware.com.
As the storm barrelled its way past Houston, tornado warnings were issued for dozens of other Texas counties in its path, including a few counties in Louisiana.
“Take cover now!” the National Weather Service warned in all caps in its weather update around 13:00 CDT (19:00 BST) for residents in Louisiana’s Northeastern Beauregard Parish.
“Move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building. Avoid windows.”
