Widespread power outages from deadly Houston storm raise new risk: hot weather

Lekan Oyekanmi and David J. Phillip, Associated Press

HOUSTON (AP) — As nan Houston area useful to cleanable up and reconstruct powerfulness to thousands aft deadly storms that near astatine slightest 7 group dead, it will do truthful Saturday nether a smog informing and arsenic each of confederate Texas starts to consciousness nan heat.

Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said 3 group died during nan storm, including an 85-year-old female whose location caught occurrence aft being struck by lightning and a 60-year-old man who had tried to usage his conveyance to powerfulness his oxygen tank.

Houston Mayor John Whitmire antecedently said astatine slightest 4 group were killed successful nan metropolis erstwhile nan storms swept done Harris County, which includes Houston.

The National Weather Service issued flood advisories and watches for parts of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.

LACK OF ELECTRICITY RAISES POSSIBILITY OF HEAT-RELATED ILLNESS

The National Weather Service successful Houston warned that pinch temperatures hitting astir 90 degrees (32.2 C) this weekend, group should cognize nan symptoms of power exhaustion. “Don’t overdo yourself during nan cleanup process,” it said successful a station connected nan societal level X.

The balmy upwind is simply a interest successful a region wherever much than a half-million homes and businesses remained without energy Saturday greeting — down from astir 1 million, according to PowerOutage.us.

Fierce storms Thursday pinch winds of up to 100 mph (161 kph) blew retired windows downtown, while a tornado touched down adjacent nan the northwest Houston suburb of Cypress.

POWER COULD BE OUT FOR WEEKS IN SOME AREAS

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said Friday that it could return weeks for powerfulness to beryllium restored successful immoderate areas.

With aggregate transmission towers down, Hidalgo urged patience. Another 21,000 customers were without powerfulness successful Louisiana, wherever beardown winds and a suspected tornado hit, down from a highest of 215,000.

The Houston Health Department said it would administer 400 free portable aerial conditioners to area seniors, group pinch disabilities and caregivers of abnormal children.

WIDESPREAD DESTRUCTION BRINGS HOUSTON TO A STANDSTILL

The wide demolition brought overmuch of Houston to a standstill. Trees, debris and shattered solid littered nan streets. One building’s ceramic wall was ripped off.

School districts successful nan Houston area canceled classes Friday for much than 400,000 students and authorities offices were closed. City officials urged group to debar downtown and enactment disconnected roads, galore of which were flooded aliases lined pinch downed powerfulness lines and malfunctioning postulation lights.

Mayor Whitmire warned that constabulary were retired successful force, including authorities troopers sent to nan area to forestall looting. He said nan velocity and strength of nan large wind caught galore disconnected guard.

“Most Houstonians didn’t person clip to spot themselves retired of harm’s way,” Whitmire said astatine a news conference.

Noelle Delgado pulled up Thursday nighttime to Houston Pets Alive, nan animal rescue statement wherever she is executive head to find nan dogs and cats — much than 30 successful each — were uninjured, but nan awning had been ripped off, nan motion was mangled and h2o was leaking inside. She hoped to find foster homes for nan animals.

“I could decidedly show that this large wind was a small different,” she said. “It felt terrifying.”

Yesenia Guzmán worried whether she would get paid pinch nan powerfulness still retired astatine nan edifice wherever she useful successful nan Houston suburb of Katy.

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

DISASTER DECLARATION PAVES THE WAY FOR AID

Whitmire signed a disaster declaration, which paves nan measurement for authorities and national large wind betterment assistance. President Joe Biden besides issued a disaster declaration for 7 counties successful Texas, including Harris, complete terrible storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes and flooding since April 26. His action makes national backing disposable to group affected by nan storms.

Emergency officials successful neighboring Montgomery County described nan harm to transmission lines arsenic “catastrophic.”

High-voltage transmission towers that were torn isolated and downed powerfulness lines airs a twofold situation for nan inferior institution because nan harm affected transmission and distribution systems, according to Alexandria von Meier, a powerfulness and power master who called that a uncommon thing. Damage to conscionable nan distribution strategy is much typical, von Meier said.

How quickly repairs are made will dangle connected a assortment of factors, including nan clip it takes to measure nan damage, instrumentality replacement, roadwork entree issues and workforce availability.

Centerpoint Energy deployed 1,000 labor connected Friday and had requested 5,000 much statement workers and vegetation professionals.

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Associated Press reporters Ken Miller successful Oklahoma City; Jamie Stengle successful Dallas; Valerie Gonzalez successful McAllen, Texas; and Lisa Baumann successful Bellingham, Washington, contributed to this report.

A video photojournalist shoots footage of harm astatine a tyre shop astatine nan intersection of Sowden and Bingle successful nan aftermath of a terrible large wind connected Friday, May 17, 2024, successful Houston. The wide demolition brought overmuch of Houston to a standstill arsenic crews raced to reconstruct powerfulness and region uprooted trees and debris. | Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle via AP