Six people have now died across Texas after Hurricane Beryl slammed into the state – with 11 others across the US set to be battered by high winds and rain.
Three people were killed in Montgomery County due to falling trees from the storm, according to Chief of Staff for Montgomery County Judge Mark Keough. One man was killed riding a tractor on a public roadway when a tree fell on him and a couple was killed in a wooded area when a tree fell on them, according to Keough.
The three previously confirmed deaths included two from falling trees and one from drowning. It comes as 2.7 million people remain without power with Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick saying it could take “several days” for power to be restored amid a huge rescue operation.
READ MORE: Hurricane Beryl: Map shows 2 million people in Texas without power as deadly storm slams Houston
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Counties where customers are affected by the thousands include Calhoun, Jackson, Lavaca, Colorado, Wharton, Matagorda, Brazoria, Galveston, Chambers, Liberty, San Jacinto, Montgomery, Harris, Waller, Grimes, Washington, and Austin. Areas with hundreds of customers affected include Jefferson, Hardin, and Polk.
There are additional outages in some areas of Jim Wells, Garza, Culberson, and Hudspeth, for other reasons.
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Acting Governor Dan Patrick issued this statement today following his press conference with Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) Chief Nim Kidd: “As Hurricane Beryl approaches the Texas coast, now is the time for Texans to make their final preparations to protect themselves and their property. 121 counties are already under state disaster declaration, and more may be added if conditions warrant.”
Flood warnings were also issued across a broad swath of the Texas coast, where a powerful storm surge pushed water ashore, and further inland as heavy rain continued to pour. A total of nearly 2 million customers are without power across the state.
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Before reaching Texas, Beryl had already carved a deadly path through parts of Mexico and the Caribbean. The storm hit land around 4 a.m., and high waters quickly started to shut down streets in storm-battered Houston, the nation’s fourth-largest city, which was once again under flood warnings after recent heavy storms devastated neighborhoods.
In the Houston suburb of Humble, one man lost his life when a tree fell on a house, trapping him under debris, according to Harris County sheriff’s office senior deputy Thomas M. Gilliland.