Aftermath of the storm in Houston: part of the city center closed due to windows

HOUSTON — Six city blocks will be closed Monday in downtown Houston as crews work to repair broken windows following Thursday’s storms.

There is still broken glass all over the sidewalk and city leaders say you need to be careful and falling glass could also be a problem.

At a press conference Sunday, Houston Mayor John Whitmire spoke of an “exclusion zone” that will not be opened. There will be no traffic permitted from Louisiana to Travis and from McKinney to Polk. Workers will be on site to deal with blown windows as well as street and traffic light outages.

The mayor is urging people to avoid driving downtown if possible.

“I have made the decision to reduce travel by asking city employees to stay home,” Whitmire said. “The business community is cooperating and closing some of their facilities, so together we protect that downtown footprint.”

Municipal courts will also be closed today. All court operations are expected to resume Tuesday, including jury service.

When will things return to normal? Due to the extent of the damage downtown, the mayor estimates it could take a week or more.