Some in Houston had no power for weeks after storms caused widespread damage, killing at least 4 people – KXAN Austin

A Houston police officer returns to his vehicle after directing people away from a damaged tire store at the intersection of Sowden and Bingle following a severe storm Friday, May 17, 2024 in Houston. Widespread destruction paralyzed much of Houston as crews raced to restore power and remove uprooted trees and debris. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP)

HOUSTON (AP) — Power outages could last for weeks in parts of Houston, an official warned Friday, after thunderstorms with hurricane-force winds ravaged the city, knocking out power to nearly a million of homes and businesses in the area, shattering windows. downtown skyscrapers and overturned vehicles.

The National Weather Service said it confirmed that a tornado with maximum winds of 177 mph touched down near the northwest Houston suburb of Cyprus in Harris County.

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, the county’s top elected official, said crews were still trying to determine the extent of the damage and the number of victims from Thursday’s storms. Houston Mayor John Whitmire said four people, possibly five, had died.

“It was fierce. It was intense. It was quick and most Houstonians did not have time to get out of danger,” Whitmire said at a news conference.

As several transmission towers failed, Hidalgo urged patience. Thousands of utility workers traveled to the area, where power had already been restored to about 200,000 customers. Another 100,000 customers were without power in Louisiana, down from a peak of 215,000.

“We’re going to have to talk about this disaster in weeks, not days,” Hidalgo said.

She said she heard “horror stories of simple terror and helplessness” as the storm passed. The weather service also reported straight-line winds of up to 100 mph in downtown Houston and the suburbs of Baytown and Galena Park.

Noelle Delgado’s heart sank when she stopped by Houston Pets Alive, the animal rescue organization where she is executive director, Thursday evening. The dogs and cats – more than 30 in total – were unharmed, but the awning had been torn off, the panel was mutilated and water was leaking inside. With the power expected to be out for a while and temperatures expected to climb into the 90s on Saturday, she hoped to find foster homes for the animals.

“I could definitely tell this storm was a little different,” she said. “It was terrifying.”

Yesenia Guzmán, 52, worried about whether she would be paid while the power was still out at the restaurant where she works in the Houston suburb of Katy.

“We don’t really know what’s going to happen,” she said.

Widespread destruction paralyzed much of Houston. Trees, debris and broken glass littered the streets. The wall of a building was torn out.

Houston-area school districts canceled classes for more than 400,000 students and government offices were closed. City officials urged people to avoid the city center and stay off roads, many of which were flooded or lined with downed power lines and malfunctioning traffic lights.

Whitmire said at least 2,500 traffic lights were out. He also warned would-be looters that “police are out in force, including 50 state troopers sent to the area to prevent looting.”

At least two of the deaths were caused by falling trees and another occurred when a crane toppled over in high winds, authorities said.

The problems spread to the city’s suburbs, with emergency officials in neighboring Montgomery County calling the damage to transmission lines “catastrophic.”

The storms weren’t over Friday either. Gulf Coast states could experience scattered, severe thunderstorms with tornadoes, large hail and damaging winds. Heavy to excessive rain is possible from eastern Louisiana to central Alabama, the National Weather Service said. Flood watches and warnings remained Friday for Houston and areas east.

The Storm Prediction Center website posted a report of a tornado in Convent, Louisiana, about 55 miles (89 kilometers) from New Orleans, with several reports of downed trees and utility poles.

A suspected tornado struck the Romeville area of ​​St. James Parish Thursday evening, impacting some homes and downing trees, but no injuries or deaths were reported, parish officials said in a post on social networks Friday morning.

There were wind gusts of 84 mph (135 kph) at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport and 82 mph (132 kph) at New Orleans Lakefront Airport, according to Tim Erickson, meteorologist with the weather service office in New Orleans and Baton Rouge.

The New Orleans and Baton Rouge office issued a flash flood warning through Saturday.

Severe storms hit the Houston area during the first week of May, leading to many water rescues, including some from the roofs of flooded homes.

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The story has been updated to correct that Houston area school districts canceled classes Friday, not just the Houston Independent School District.

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Associated Press journalists Jamie Stengle in Dallas and Valerie Gonzalez in McAllen contributed.