Storm damage in Houston, Texas: Destructive storms leave their mark

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Severe thunderstorms ripped out windows from high-rise buildings, downed trees and knocked out power to nearly a million homes and businesses in the Houston area at the storm’s peak Thursday.

In the first hours after the storm, the mayor’s office confirmed that four people had died as a result of the storm.

The powerful and destructive storm left downtown streets littered with broken glass and parts of buildings. Streetlights and signs hung from wires. Huge chunks of wet insulation vacuumed from buildings dotted the sidewalks.

The downtown Hyatt Hotel was just one of many buildings that were affected by the winds. Guests and staff ran for cover as rain and debris fell inside the building’s famous atrium. No injuries were reported.

A small Congress building in Travis, which houses a bar, lost an entire brick wall on one side of the building. Electrical cables dangled out of the gaping hole and bricks littered the parking lot. It’s unclear if anyone was in the building when the storm hit.

ABC13 Chief Meteorologist Travis Herzog described the storm as essentially an intense hurricane hitting the city over a short period of time. It moved quickly, making the sky as black as night, more than an hour before sunset.

After the wind and rain stopped and damage began to become apparent, ABC13 chief forecaster David Tillman said the situation was the worst non-hurricane windstorm to hit the city ​​of Houston for at least 25 years.