2 dead, 2.7M without power as Beryl slams Texas
Two people died in the Houston area after Hurricane Beryl slammed southeast Texas with heavy winds, rain and flash flooding Monday morning.
Beryl made landfall at 4:30 a.m. as a Category 1 storm with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph near Matagorda. It is the first storm in the Atlantic hurricane season to make landfall in the United States.
After coming ashore, the hurricane later was downgraded to a tropical storm as it passed through the Houston area, about 94 miles from Matagorda, with sustained winds of 60 mph.
Matagorda appeared to withstand major long-term damage as the rain and winds began to subside during the day.
Strong winds recorded include 94 mph in Freeport, 85 mph at Brazoria County Airport and, at Hobby International Airport, 76 mph. Houston’s George Bush International Airport recorded wind speeds of 67 mph.
The fatalities in Texas were separate incidents of trees falling on homes in Houston’s Harris County. Nine others died after the storm hammered the Caribbean islands and Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula.
A 53-year-old man was sitting in the house with his family as they were hunkering down during the storm. An oak tree fell on the roof and hit the rafters, causing it to fall on the man. His family members were uninjured.
Later, a 74-year-old woman died in northwest Houston when a tree fell on her house. The woman was with her grandchildren when the tree fell while she was in her room.
Houston Mayor John
Whitmire, calling the situation “an emergency,” said during a morning briefing residents should shelter in place because of winds, rain and flooding.
Widespread rainfall amounts of 4 to 8 inches have fallen there since Sunday night, with much of the rain falling since daybreak on Monday.
Houston’s George Bush
Intercontinental Airport picked up more than 4.5 inches of rain since midnight, according to National Weather Service data. Normally, it records 3.77 inches for the entire month of July.
Texas Department of Transportation crews worked to clear debris and downed trees.
More than 2.7 million people in Texas are without power, according to Poweroutages.US, including more than 182,000 in Montgomery County, which is north of Harris County.
There were 19 calls for water rescues from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Nearly 1,4000 flights have been canceled into and out of Houston’s two major airports.
Port Houston expects to resume operations Tuesday. A gauge showed water 10.29 feet above its typical level after 9 a.m.
The U.S. Coast Guard, Galveston Port Police and port staff will conduct assessments to determine when waterways and port operations can open.
A portion of Interstate 45 North Freeway southbound was blocked off due to high water. Other roadways, including the Fred Hartman Bridge that connects La Porte to Baytown, were shuttered Monday morning because of high winds.
And bayous and streams across the Houston area are overflowing. Some areas had more than 5 inches of rain, according to data from the Harris County Flood Control District. Several have surpassed 10 inches.
Hurricane Beryl damaged part of the roof and several windows at St. Luke’s Health-Brazosport Hospital in Lake Jackson, a spokesperson said. The hospital was operating on generator power.
Surfside Beach in Brazoria County was under between 5 and 7 feet of water from storm surge, Mayor Gregg Bisso said.
In Galveston, officials urged people to shelter in place and remain off roadways because of substantial debris and traffic lights out of order.
NHC said the fast-moving storm is expected to move into the Lower Mississippi Valley on Tuesday and then the Ohio Valley by Wednesday.
While wind speeds are expected to drop significantly throughout Monday, the storm is expected to continue to dump substantial rain over its affected areas. Beryl is predicted to drop up to 15 inches of rain across some areas of the middle to upper Texas Coast.
“Heavy rainfall of 3 to 5 inches, with locally higher amounts possible, is expected across portions of far southeastern Oklahoma, Arkansas and southern Missouri tonight into Tuesday,” NHC said.