Houston could be without power for weeks after deadly storms

• Houston was hit by a series of thunderstorms accompanied by strong winds.
• At least 4 people have died and nearly a million are without power.
• The outages could last for weeks, said an elected official.

A series of powerful thunderstorms accompanied by hurricane-force winds slammed Houston on Thursday, leaving at least four dead and nearly a million people without power.

And the damage to the grid could leave parts of Texas’ largest city without power for weeks, a county official said.

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said Friday the storm overturned an 18-wheeler and toppled power transmission towers. She said recovery efforts would take time.

“We are going to have to talk about this disaster in weeks, not days,” Hidalgo commented at a press conference.

CenterPoint Energy said more than 700,000 customers are still without power.

The storms swept across Texas around 7 p.m. Thursday, packing winds of up to 75 miles per hour, Houston Public Media reported, citing the National Weather Service.

Photos taken at the scene revealed the extent of the damage: downed trees, crushed cars and even a partially collapsed building. The Associated Press reported that skyscraper windows were blown out by the powerful gusts and glass littered sidewalks.

Videos on social media showed debris smashing glass windows and pouring rain inside Houston’s Minute Maid Park baseball stadium, even though the roof was closed.

Area school districts canceled classes Friday and Houston Mayor John Whitmire warned people not to go to work unless they are essential workers.

Texas has been hit by powerful storms recently. Heavy rains hit the region earlier this month and caused severe flooding in the Houston metro area.

Texas has also experienced a series of power grid problems in recent years, both summer and winter. This led some people to move states.