While cleanup efforts are underway in the Houston area, restore power to thousands after deadly storms that killed at least seven people, it will happen Saturday due to a smog warning and as all of south Texas begins to feel the heat.
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said 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 tried to use his car to refuel an oxygen tank. .
Houston Mayor John Whitmire earlier said at least four people were killed in the city as storms ripped through Harris County, which includes Houston.
The National Weather Service issued flood warnings and monitored the situation in parts of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.
LACK OF ELECTRICITY INCREASES THE POSSIBILITY OF HEAT-RELATED ILLNESSES
The National Weather Service in Houston warned that with temperatures reaching 90 degrees this weekend, people should be aware of the symptoms of heat exhaustion. “Don’t overdo it during the cleaning process,” says a post on social media platform X.
Mild weather is a concern in the region, where more than half a million homes and businesses were without power Saturday morning — up from nearly 1 million, according to PowerOutage.us.
On Thursday, severe storms with winds of up to 100 mph (161 kph) blew out windows downtown and a tornado touched down near the northwest Houston suburb of Cypress.
SOME AREAS MAY BE OUT OF POWER FOR WEEKS
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said Friday it could take weeks to restore power in some areas.
With several power towers down, Hidalgo urged patience. Another 21,000 customers were without power in Louisiana, which was hit by high winds and a suspected tornado, down from a peak of 215,000.
The Houston Health Department said it will give away 400 free portable air conditioners to seniors, people with disabilities and caregivers of disabled children.
Widespread devastation brings houston to a standstill
The widespread destruction brought much of Houston to a standstill. The streets were littered with trees, debris and broken glass. The brick wall of one building was torn off.
School districts in the Houston area canceled classes for more than 400,000 students on Friday and government offices were closed. City officials urged people to avoid the city center and stay off roads, many of which were flooded or surrounded by downed power lines and faulty traffic lights.
Mayor Whitmire warned there was a police presence in the area, including state troopers sent to the area to prevent looting. He said the speed and severity of the storm caught many by surprise.
“Most Houstonians did not have time to protect themselves from danger,” Whitmire said at a news conference.
Noelle Delgado arrived Thursday evening at Houston Pets Alive, the animal rescue organization where she is executive director, to find that the dogs and cats — more than 30 in total — were unharmed, but the canopy had been torn down, the sign mangled and covered in water. flowed inside. She hoped to find an animal shelter.
“I can definitely say this storm was a little different,” she said. “It was terrible”.
Yesenia Guzman worried whether she would get paid while the power was out at the Katy restaurant where she works in suburban Houston.
“We don’t really know what’s going to happen,” she said. A DISASTER DECLARATION OPEN THE WAY FOR HELP.
Whitmire signed a disaster declaration that clears the way for state and federal hurricane recovery assistance. President Joe Biden also issued a disaster declaration for seven Texas counties, including Harris. due to strong stormsstraight-line winds, tornadoes and flooding since April 26. His actions provide federal funding to people affected by hurricanes.
Emergency officials in neighboring Montgomery County called the damage to power lines “catastrophic.”
High-voltage power poles that were torn apart and downed power lines pose a double challenge for the utility because the damage affected transmission and distribution systems, said Alexandria von Meyer, an energy and energy expert who called the occurrence rare. More typical is damage to just the distribution system, von Meyer said.
The speed at which repairs can be completed will depend on many factors, including the time required to assess the damage, replacement of equipment, roadwork access issues and labor availability. On Friday, Centerpoint Energy hired 1,000 employees and asked for an additional 5,000 line workers and vegetation specialists.