Houston, Texas hit by powerful storms resulting in four fatalities

Thunderstorms have wreaked havoc in south-east Texas, claiming the lives of four people and leaving nearly a million homes and businesses without power. The mayor of Houston, John Whitmire, described the storm as having 100 mph winds, equivalent to Hurricane Ike, causing considerable damage downtown.

Two deaths were attributed to fallen trees, while another was caused by a blown-over crane. The storm has now moved on to neighbouring Louisiana, with flood warnings in place for the Gulf Coast.

In Houston, the aftermath of the storm was evident with traffic lights out, office windows blown through, and glass strewn across the city’s streets. Video footage from downtown showed windows and part of the roof at the Hyatt Regency blown out from the strong winds.

The Houston Independent School District canceled school on Friday following the storm, and residents were urged to stay indoors by the mayor. Flash flood and severe thunderstorm warnings were issued for multiple counties as the storm continued to move through the region.

Emergency services in the city were inundated with calls, mainly about gas leaks and downed wires. Nearly one million customers were without power in Texas, with the majority of outages in Harris County, home to Houston. In Louisiana, 215,000 households were also without power.

With more than 30 million people at risk of severe weather across the Gulf Coast, the impact of this deadly storm is far-reaching. Just last month, another storm, Tornado Katy, caused one death and injured 10 in the city of Houston.