A severe storm with winds reaching hurricane force struck Houston on Thursday, resulting in the deaths of at least four people. The storm blew out windows of tall buildings and left around 900,000 families without electricity, plunging much of the city into darkness, as stated by the mayor.
Watch | Severe Storms Strike Houston Leaving 4 Dead And '900,000 Families' Without Electricity; Flood Watch Issued
A severe storm with hurricane-force winds struck Houston, leaving four dead and 800,000 families without power. Mayor John Whitmire warns of the dangerous aftermath, urging residents to stay indoors as the city grapples with widespread damage, darkness, and a flood watch issued by the National Weather Service.
In the aftermath of the storm, significant portions of downtown Houston, including its commercial area, were cluttered with fallen power lines and broken glass from shattered windows, according to Mayor John Whitmire in an interview with local television station KRIV. Traffic lights and street lamps were not operating throughout the city amidst the power outage.
Addressing reporters from the city's emergency operations center, Whitmire described how the thunderstorm swept through Houston, located on the Gulf Coast in southeast Texas, the state's most populous urban area. He noted that winds reached speeds of 80-100 miles per hour (129-161 kph).
He advised the public to remain indoors and to particularly avoid the heavily impacted downtown area, which he described as darkened and strewn with shattered glass.
"The message right now is to stay home," he emphasized, noting the closure of public schools on Friday and the request from local authorities for all non-essential workers to also refrain from work.
The mayor confirmed at least four storm-related deaths, primarily caused by fallen trees. "Over 900,000 families are without power right now," he stated. Whitmire provided similar initial evaluations of the storm during a brief televised news conference shortly after his interview.
He mentioned that the severe weather had caught many residents off guard, recalling that he was at a little league baseball game when the storm struck, adding, "and we had very little time to get to cover."
The National Weather Service also issued a flood watch for the Houston area due to the heavy rainfall associated with the storm.
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