Four people have lost their lives following severe storms that ravaged Houston and its surrounding areas on Thursday, as reported by Mayor John Whitmire’s office.
City officials confirmed that one fatality occurred on North Main Street and 610, where ABC13’s Shannon Ryan reported a tree had collapsed onto a home.
The city indicated that two of the deaths resulted from fallen trees, while another was caused by a crane being toppled by the wind.
In a late-night news briefing, Mayor John Whitmire announced that power and traffic lights were out and advised residents to avoid driving at night. Fire Chief Samuel Pena highlighted major issues including gas leaks and fallen trees and power lines.
Whitmire also warned against venturing downtown, describing the damage there as “considerable.”
“If you can, stay home on Friday,” Whitmire urged Houston residents.
In Cypress, just outside Houston, at least one person was reported dead in a mobile home fire on the 15700 block of Cypress Meadows Drive. It is unclear if the storm contributed to this fire.
Matt Lanza of Space City Weather said, “We’ll find out more today and tomorrow about specifics on damage and what was a tornado or straight line winds. Whatever the case, this was one of the most ferocious storms I’ve ever seen.”
