Hurricane-force storm hits Houston, leaving 4 dead

Broken windows from buildings were found in the streets. (File)

Los Angeles, United States:

A powerful storm with hurricane-force winds hit Houston on Thursday, killing at least four people, tearing out windows from tall buildings and leaving about 800,000 homes without power as much of the city was plunged into darkness, the mayor said.

Much of downtown Houston and its business district were littered with downed power lines and broken window panes after the storm, with traffic and traffic lights throughout the city, Mayor John Whitmire said in an interview with local television station KRIV .

Speaking from the city’s emergency operations center, Whitmire said the storm hit the Gulf Coast city in southeast Texas, the state’s most populous urban center, with winds howling at 129 to 161 kilometers per hour (129 to 161 kilometers per hour).

He urged the public to stay home and especially avoid the hard-hit central area of ​​the city, which he said was left dark and littered with broken glass.

“The message right now is to stay home,” he said, adding that public schools would be closed on Friday and that local authorities were asking all non-essential workers to also take the day off.

The mayor said at least four storm-related deaths have been confirmed, mostly due to falling trees. “More than 800,000 families are without power right now,” he added.

Whitmire made similar initial assessments about the storm during a brief, live-streamed news conference shortly after her interview.

The mayor said the severe weather caught many residents by surprise, saying he was watching a Little League baseball game when the storm hit, “and we had very little time to cover ourselves.”

The National Weather Service also issued a flood warning for the Houston area due to heavy rain associated with the storm.

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