Two people died due to falling trees on homes, and a third perished while driving to their job at Houston PD. CenterPoint has not yet announced a timeline for restoring power to 2.2 million customers.
David Smith
Beryl brought heavy rain and strong winds to the Houston area Monday morning, leading to widespread power outages and at least three deaths, according to local officials.
The storm made landfall near Matagorda around 4 a.m. Monday as a Category 1 hurricane, bringing 80-mile-per-hour winds to parts of the Texas coast. It was downgraded to a tropical storm shortly after 10 a.m. as it moved north through the Houston region.
Beryl’s rain and winds left the metro area by mid-afternoon, but many bayous and roadways were flooded, and more than 2.2 million homes and businesses in the Houston area remained without electricity, according to CenterPoint Energy’s online outage tracker. At least two people died due to fallen trees.
“The rains are pretty much ending from south to north,” said Eric Berger, a meteorologist with Space City Weather, at about 2 p.m. Monday. “We’re going to see significant improvement in these creeks and bayous over the next several hours. … There should be considerable improvement today and into this evening.”
As local officials assessed the damage and began recovery efforts Monday afternoon, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said power outages, flooding, and roadway conditions were the most significant issues. She said CenterPoint is expected to provide restoration estimates on Tuesday, with the county planning to open shelters for impacted residents.
Patricia Ortiz/Houston Public Media
In the meantime, Hidalgo encouraged those in the Houston area to stay close to home through Monday night.
“Stay where you are unless you really need to go out,” she said Monday afternoon. “There are lots of hazards out there. There’s debris. There’s water. Sometimes you won’t know until you turn that there’s high water you can’t back away from.”
A tree fell on a home in Humble on Monday morning, killing a 53-year-old man inside, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office reported. The man was reportedly “sitting in his house with his family, riding out the storm. An oak tree fell on the roof and hit the rafters, causing the structure to collapse on the male. Wife and children unharmed,” Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez wrote on X.
Another death occurred in northwest Houston, near the intersection of FM 1960 and Kuykendahl Road. A 74-year-old woman was killed by a tree that fell on her home, according to Gonzalez and Harris County Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey.
A third death was announced Monday afternoon by Mayor Whitmire, who said a Houston PD employee driving to work became trapped in high water after exiting I-45.
In a late afternoon press conference, Hidalgo said first responders are aiding the Fire Marshal and County Engineer’s Offices in assessing the damage from Beryl.
“Those assessments are important for us to determine if we can reach the thresholds to achieve federal support for our residents,” she said. “There might also be government buildings impacted or roads we need to clear.”
She stated that the big challenge moving forward is renewed heat, given the ongoing mass power outages.
“The heat is the major problem now,” she said. “It’s going to be very hot and humid, like we’ve seen in the past few weeks. So, the power outages continue to be the main threat.”
She added that 7,000 crews are heading to the Houston area from around the country to help restore power.
“This is a major event,” Ramsey said.
RELATED: Houston Public Media Hurricane and Tropical Storm Tracker
David Smith
Several roadways across the region were flooded by about 10:30 a.m., according to Gonzalez. Stronger-than-expected winds caused 11 power transmission towers to fall, leading Hidalgo to urge Houston-area residents to shelter in place until the afternoon and stay away from windows.
Hidalgo said Houston-area officials had performed nearly 50 high-water rescues by about 3:30 p.m.
Local TV stations aired a dramatic rescue of a man who climbed to the roof of his pickup truck after it became trapped in fast-flowing waters on 288. Emergency crews used an extension ladder from a fire truck to drop him a life preserver and a tether before moving him to dry land.
“First responders are putting their lives at risk. That’s what they’re trained for,” said Houston Mayor John Whitmire.
METRO, the public transit provider for the Houston region, suspended all of its services for the remainder of the day just before 1 p.m.
David Smith
Rainfall totals exceed 5 inches
A tropical storm warning was in effect for much of the southeast Texas region as of 11 a.m. Monday, with the Houston and Beaumont metro areas also under a flash flood warning, according to the National Weather Service. A storm surge warning remained in effect along the Gulf Coast between Galveston and Matagorda Bay.
According to the Harris County Flood Warning System, much of the Houston area received at least 5 inches of rainfall Monday morning, with some areas in the southern part of the county receiving 9 inches or more.
RELATED: Houston braces for Beryl: Rain, flooding, and tropical storm force winds likely
More than 1,000 flights were canceled at both Bush Intercontinental and Hobby airports on Monday.
“As the storm approaches and people plan to stay indoors and safe, we want to remind everyone that our airports are not equipped to serve as storm shelters,” stated the Houston Airport System. “We lack the supplies and staff to accommodate people seeking refuge during the storm.”
Travelers should check with airlines for updates and options for rebooking flights.
Healthcare facilities impacted
St. Luke’s Health-Brazosport Hospital lost power and was damaged Monday morning. Some patients were transferred to other hospitals, but no patients or staff were injured. The hospital was operating on generator power and remained open for emergency services.
Most other hospitals and emergency rooms around the Houston area remained open Monday, though many clinics and medical facilities closed due to the storm. Harris Health closed its clinics and outpatient facilities, but its two hospitals, Ben Taub and LBJ, continued to operate.
Submitted photo
All M.D. Anderson locations closed for patient appointments, although some urgent procedures were taking place at its Texas Medical Center campus. Kelsey-Seybold closed all of its clinics Monday.
Houston Methodist hospitals and Memorial Hermann Health System-operated hospitals remained open, although Memorial Hermann’s convenient care centers were open only for emergency services. Memorial Hermann’s other outpatient facilities, including its imaging and sports medicine locations, were closed.
State and federal officials monitoring Beryl
President Joe Biden received regular updates on the storm after it made landfall, the White House said. The U.S. Coast Guard and FEMA had prepared search and rescue teams, and FEMA collected bottled water, meals, tarps, and electric generators in case they are needed.
Some coastal cities called for voluntary evacuations in low-lying areas prone to flooding, restricted beach camping, and urged tourists traveling on the Fourth of July holiday weekend to move recreational vehicles from coastal parks.
RELATED: Houston region prepares for heavy rains as Beryl approaches Texas coast
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, acting governor while Gov. Greg Abbott is traveling in Taiwan, issued a preemptive disaster declaration for 121 counties.
Tom Perumean/Houston Public Media
Beryl earlier this week battered Mexico as a Category 2 hurricane, toppling trees but causing no injuries or deaths before weakening to a tropical storm as it moved across the Yucatan Peninsula. The system crashed through the Caribbean before that, killing 11 people.
Beryl is the 10th hurricane to hit Texas in July since 1851 and the fourth in the last 25 years, according to Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach.