Houston weather: tornado and windstorm kill up to 7, including Christin Martinez; pregnant mother survives but loses her unborn baby

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Severe storms that ravaged the Houston area killed at least seven people and injured several others.

Officials were still determining final numbers Friday. Yet so far, ABC13 was aware of two people killed in northwest Harris County, another around North Main, two in southeast Houston and one in the Cloverleaf neighborhood.

On Avenue O, the SUV that Christin Martinez was trying to move as the storm intensified is still in the driveway. According to family members, the 31-year-old mother of four was killed when a large tree fell on the vehicle. She leaves behind four boys aged 1 to 13.

“We all take it very badly, especially her husband,” said her brother Jonathan Martinez. “We had a lot of plans this weekend, and it’s all over. Their child was about to start middle school and she doesn’t see that happening now.”

A few blocks away on Wingate at 75th Street, a cement plant worker was killed when a crane fell on the work vehicle he was in.

Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez revealed the deaths of two people on opposite ends of the county. A 57-year-old man who was trying to move a fallen power pole collapsed and died on Kilkenny Glenn Drive. On Waxahachie in Cloverleaf, a 60-year-old man who went to his truck to plug his oxygen tank was later found dead.

And for survivors, the trauma only sets in.

Belinda Tate was in her car with her 10-year-old daughter on Travis Street downtown when the storm hit. Both mother and daughter were injured by flying glass. Tate is still in the hospital, recovering from surgery.

According to her sister-in-law, Tate was also five months pregnant and had lost her baby.

“I feel really bad for her. Through all of this, she lost her baby. She was pregnant. She had a miscarriage,” Smith said. “So it’s just a tragic situation. My heart goes out to her and her family.”

The family set up a GoFundMe website to help with medical costs

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