Deadly thunderstorms blew out windows in high-rise buildings, downed trees and knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses in the Houston area Thursday as Southeast Texas got pummeled for the second time this month. At least four people were killed due to the storms, Houston Mayor John Whitmire told reporters in a news briefing Thursday night.
“We have a storm with 100 mph winds, the equivalent of Hurricane Ike, considerable damage downtown,” Whitmire said, adding that the region may have been hit by tornadoes as well.
At least two of the fatalities were caused by fallen trees, Houston Fire Chief Samuel Peña told reporters. Another was caused by a “crane that was blown over by the wind.”
Whitmire urged people to “stay at home.”
“There’s trees across roadways across Houston,” Whitmire said.
Several downtown office buildings lost windows.
“Glass all over the streets downtown, traffic lights are out,” Whitmire said.
Flash flood and severe thunderstorm warnings were issued for multiple counties heading into the evening, according to Houston’s National Weather Service office.
“Take shelter now if you’re in the path of this storm. Head to the lowest floor!” the NWS office earlier warned on social media.
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The mayor said the city was working through a “backlog” of 911 emergency calls. The majority of those regarded gas leaks and downed wires, Peña said.
Streets were flooded and trees were down across the region. CBS affiliate KHOU-TV showed images of shattered windows on an office building in downtown Houston, with glass littering the street below. Video posted to social media showed a downtown street covered in debris.
Video also appeared to show water being blown into Minute Maid Park, the home of the Houston Astros, despite the stadium’s roof being closed. The Astros hosted the Oakland Athletics on Thursday.
“If you’re still there after an Astros game do not go west through downtown,” Whitmire said.
In total, just under one million customers were without power in Texas as of late Thursday night, according to utility tracker PowerOutage.us. That number was down to some 834,000 as of 4 a.m. local time.
Of that, more than 808,000 customers were without electricity in and around Harris County, which contains Houston. The county is home to more than 4.7 million people.
“I ask everyone to be patient, look out for your neighbors,” Whitmire said. “It will take 24 hours for a lot of this power to be restored, some will require 48 hours.”
Flights were grounded at Houston’s two major airports because of the weather. Sustained winds topping 60 mph were recorded at Bush Intercontinental Airport.
The Houston Independent School District announced all schools would be closed Friday.
“Please avoid the roadways if possible, but if you’re out, please use caution and be on the lookout for debris,” Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez wrote on social media. Gonzalez shared an image of vehicles attempting to traverse around a massive tree that had come crashing down into an intersection.
Heavy storms slammed the region during the first week of May, leading to numerous high-water rescues, including some from the rooftops of flooded homes.