Powerful storms devastate Houston, killed Four people

• The storm has moved into Louisiana, prompting flood warnings along the Gulf Coast.
• In Houston, the storm knocked out traffic lights, shattered office windows, and scattered glass across the city’s streets.
• The Houston Independent School District canceled classes in response to the storm.

Thunderstorms have killed four people and knocked out power to nearly a million homes and businesses in southeast Texas. “We’re facing a storm with 100 mph winds, equivalent to Hurricane Ike, causing considerable damage downtown,” said Houston Mayor John Whitmire.

Fallen trees caused two deaths, while a blown-over crane resulted in another fatality. The storm has now moved into neighboring Louisiana, prompting flood warnings along the Gulf Coast. In Houston, the storm knocked out traffic lights, shattered office windows, and scattered glass across the city’s streets.

Video footage from downtown shows strong winds blowing out windows and part of the roof at the Hyatt Regency, according to local media reports. The Houston Independent School District canceled classes on Friday in response to the storm.

The mayor warned residents to stay inside during his Thursday evening address.

“Stay at home tonight. Do not go to work tomorrow, unless you’re an essential worker.

“Stay home, take care of your children. Our first responders will be working around the clock.”

Houston’s National Weather Service office issued flash flood and severe thunderstorm warnings for multiple counties heading into the evening. The city’s fire chief reported that emergency crews were working through a backlog of calls, mostly concerning gas leaks and downed wires.

As of late Thursday night, nearly one million customers in Texas were without power, according to the utility tracker PowerOutage.us. The vast majority of outages are in Harris County, including Houston, and are home to over 4.7 million people.

In Louisiana, 215,000 households are without power. On Friday, more than 30 million people across the Gulf Coast are at risk of severe weather. Last month, another deadly storm swept through the city, with a tornado in Katy killing one person and injuring ten others.

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