- Lightning struck Southeastern Texas for the second time this month.
- Four deaths, according to the mayor, were caused by the extreme weather.
- The mayor of Houston urged people to take care of their children and stay at home tonight.
Lightning struck Southeastern Texas for the second time this month, resulting in over 900,000 homes and businesses in the Houston region losing power, damage to buildings, and downed trees.
Authorities warned locals to stay off impassable roads and to assume that traffic lights would not be on during the evening.
Severe storms
John Whitmire, the mayor of Houston, urged people to take care of their children and stay at home tonight rather than go to work tomorrow unless it was very necessary.
Four deaths, according to the mayor, were caused by the extreme weather. According to officials, at least two of the fatalities were caused by fallen trees, while a third occurred when a crane toppled over in high winds.
Throughout the area, power lines and trees had fallen, and streets were submerged in water. Winds approached 100 mph (160 kph), according to Whitmire, “with some twisters.” He claimed that the strong gusts brought back memories of Hurricane Ike, which battered the city in 2008.
The state was sending Department of Public Safety officers to protect the area after hundreds of windows at downtown hotels and office buildings broke, leaving glass all over the streets below.
