4 dead, 900,000 left without power in Texas thunderstorms

Severe thunderstorms have struck Southeast Texas for the second time this month, killing at least four people, blowing out windows in high-rise buildings, toppling trees and knocking out power to more than 900,000 homes and businesses in the Houston area.

Authorities urged residents to stay off the roads after Thursday’s storm, as many roads were impassable and lights were out. Although the storm system quickly moved through, flood watches and warnings remained in place Friday for Houston and areas east of it.

Houston Mayor John Whitmire said four people died as a result of the severe weather. Officials said at least two of the deaths were caused by falling trees and another when a crane overturned in strong winds.

Streets in Houston were flooded and trees and power lines were downed throughout the area. Whitmire said wind speeds reached 100 miles per hour “with some twisters.” Whitmire said the powerful wind gusts were reminiscent of Hurricane Ike in 2008, which hit the city.

Business hundreds of windows were broken

“Please stay home tonight. Don’t go to work tomorrow unless you are an essential worker. Stay home and take care of your children,” Whitmire said at a news conference Thursday night. “Our first responders will be working around the clock.”

Scattered severe thunderstorms with tornadoes, large hail, and damaging winds are possible in the Gulf of Mexico. Heavy to excessive rain is possible from eastern Louisiana to central Alabama on Friday, according to the National Weather Service.

In Houston, hundreds of windows were broken in downtown hotels and office buildings, scattering glass on the streets below, and the state sent Department of Public Safety officers to police the area.

WATCH | Aftermath of extreme storm in Texas:

Social media videos taken in Houston, Texas, show the aftermath of a severe storm that blew out windows and left thousands without power.

“Downtown is in chaos,” Whitmire said, adding there is a backlog of 911 calls that first responders are responding to.

The severe storm also reached neighboring Louisiana, leaving more than 215,000 customers without power. More than 100,000 of his Entergy Louisiana customers in the New Orleans, Louisiana area lost power, NOLA.com reported.

The National Weather Service forecast office for New Orleans and Baton Rouge has issued flash flood warnings through Saturday.

The Houston Independent School District canceled classes Friday for about 400,000 students across all 274 campuses.

Flights were temporarily suspended at Houston’s two major airports. Sustained winds in excess of 96 km/h were recorded at Busch Intercontinental Airport.

About 900,000 customers were without power in and around Harris County, including Houston, according to poweroutage.us. This county is home to more than 4.7 million people.

Problems have spread to the city’s suburbs, with emergency officials in neighboring Montgomery County describing damage to power lines as “catastrophic” and warning that power could be affected for several days.

Severe storms hit the region in the first week of May, resulting in numerous high-water rescues, including rescues from the roofs of flooded homes.