Houston weather: Some areas face weeks of power outages after storm, 4 dead

HOUSTON (AP) — An official warned Friday that parts of Houston could be hit by hurricane-force thunderstorms as hurricane-force thunderstorms swept across the city, knocking out power and blowing out windows to nearly 1 million homes and businesses in the area. There were power outages that lasted for weeks.

The National Weather Service said it confirmed a tornado with peak winds of 110 mph (177 kph) struck near Cypress in Harris County, a suburb northwest of Houston.

Harris County Judge Lena Hidalgo, the county's top elected official, said crews were still working to determine the extent of damage and the number of casualties from Thursday's storm. Houston Mayor John Whitmire said four people, possibly five, had died.

“It was intense. It was intense. Everything happened so fast that most Houstonians didn't have time to get themselves out of harm's way,” Whitmire said at a news conference.

Hidalgo urged patience as multiple transmission towers collapsed. Thousands of utility workers are heading to the area, where power has been restored to about 200,000 customers. Another 100,000 customers were without power in Louisiana, down from a peak of 215,000.

“We will have to discuss this disaster in weeks, not days,” Hidalgo said.

She said she heard “horror stories of fear and powerlessness” as the storm hit. The weather service also reported straight-line winds of up to 100 mph (161 kph) in downtown Houston and the suburbs of Baytown and Galena Park.

When Noelle Delgado pulled up to the Houston Pets Alive animal rescue organization, where she serves as executive director, on Thursday night, her heart sank. In total, more than 30 dogs and cats were uninjured, but the awning had been torn off, the sign was damaged and water was leaking inside. With the power outage expected for some time and temperatures expected to climb into the 90s on Saturday, she hopes to find foster homes for the animals.

“I can definitely tell this storm is a little different,” she said. “It feels terrible.”

Yesenia Guzmán, 52, is worried about whether she will get paid while the power remains out at the restaurant where she works in the Houston suburb of Katy.

“We really didn't know what to expect,” she said.

Widespread destruction paralyzed much of Houston. The streets were strewn with trees, debris and broken glass. A wall was torn off a building.

Houston-area school districts canceled classes for more than 400,000 students and government offices were closed. City officials urged people to avoid the city center and stay off roads, many of which were flooded or had downed power lines and malfunctioning traffic lights.

Whitmire said at least 2,500 traffic lights were out. He also warned would-be looters that “police are out, including 50 state troopers sent to the area to prevent looting.”

At least two of the deaths were caused by falling trees and another was caused by a crane being blown over by strong winds, officials said.

Whitmire's office posted a photo on the social platform X on Friday showing the mayor signing a disaster declaration paving the way for state and federal storm recovery aid.

President Joe Biden subsequently issued a disaster declaration for seven Texas counties, including Harris, due to severe weather since April 26. .

Problems caused by Thursday's storm spread to suburban Houston, with emergency officials in neighboring Montgomery County calling damage to power lines “catastrophic.”

Torn high-voltage transmission towers and downed power lines pose a dual challenge for utility companies as the damage affects transmission and distribution systems, said Alexandria von Meier, a power and energy expert. rarely seen.

“More typically, the damage is just on the distribution system, you know, just not as severe,” von Meyer said, referring to wires that are more susceptible to wind damage.

The speed of repairs depends on a variety of factors, including the time needed to assess the damage, equipment replacement, road construction access issues and labor availability. Centerpoint Energy deployed 1,000 employees Friday and is applying for an additional 5,000 line workers and vegetation professionals.

Von Meyer said the silver lining is that the damage is localized, unlike the 2021 statewide freeze, which could allow other jurisdictions to more easily send resources. While clients may want an aggressive restoration timeline, she warns that it must be done carefully and methodically.

“Because if you try to rush to fix something like this and try to rush to restore power, you could get hurt. You could put workers at risk. You could put other people at risk. You could blow up equipment and then It takes longer to replace,” von Meyer said.

The storm isn't over yet Friday. Gulf Coast states may experience scattered severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, large hail and damaging winds. The National Weather Service said heavy or excessive rainfall is possible from eastern Louisiana to central Alabama. Flood watches and warnings remain in effect for Houston and the eastern region Friday.

A tornado occurred in Convent, Louisiana, about 55 miles (89 kilometers) from New Orleans, with multiple reports of downed trees and power poles, according to the Storm Prediction Center's website.

A suspected tornado struck the Romeville area of ​​St. James Parish Thursday night, affecting some homes and downing trees, but no injuries were reported, parish officials posted on social media Friday morning.

Wind gusts were 84 mph (135 kph) at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport and gusts at New Orleans Lakefront Airport, said Tim Erickson, a meteorologist with the weather service offices in New Orleans and Baton Rouge. Speed ​​is 82 mph (132 km/h).

New Orleans and Baton Rouge offices issued flash flood warnings Saturday.

Severe storm hits Houston area first week of mayresulting in numerous high-water rescues, some from the roofs of flooded homes.

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This story has been updated to correct that Houston-area school districts are canceling classes Friday, not just Houston Independent School District but Cypress Spelling.

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Associated Press reporter Jamie Stengle in Dallas and Valerie Gonzalez in McAllen contributed.