At least 4 dead, nearly 700,000 without power after storms in Houston

Hurricane-force winds ripped apart buildings, dropped glass from downtown skyscrapers and left nearly a million Houston homes without power, leading to the deaths of at least four people, authorities said.

The strong storm moved quickly across the city on Thursday evening, May 16, said Houston Mayor John Whitmire.

“It was violent, it was intense, it was fast and most Houstonians didn’t have time to get out of harm’s way,” Whitmire told reporters Friday.

Falling trees claimed the lives of at least two people, and another died in an accident in which a crane overturned Houston Chronicle reported.

On Friday morning, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo and Whitmire jointly reported on the aftermath of the storm, which led school districts to cancel classes for 400,000 area students and close government offices.

“We need to talk about this disaster in weeks, not days,” Hidalgo said.

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As of midday Friday, nearly 700,000 Harris County residents were still without power, while authorities warned residents to avoid unnecessary driving — especially in downtown, where streets were littered with glass.

“Downtown is a mess,” Whitmire said.

In videos shared on social media, it appeared the impact of the powerful storm caught residents by surprise.

CW affiliate KIAH meteorologist Adam Krueger is on

Elsewhere downtown, the Houston Astros game took place under the roof of Minute Maid Park.

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But the rain and wind still found a way in and formed puddles on the warning track.