Hold onto your hats, folks! 🌬️ Tropical Storm Beryl was downgraded to a tropical depression on Monday evening after making a fierce entrance as a Category 1 hurricane in Texas. The storm didn't just bring rain; it unleashed deadly winds and torrential downpours, leaving at least four people dead and millions without power under the scorching summer sun. ☀️
The U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported that Beryl made landfall near the Gulf Coast town of Matagorda on Monday morning. While it lost some steam moving inland, it still packed a punch with flood-producing rains and strong winds. 🌧️💨
\"Considerable flash and urban flooding as well as minor to isolated major river flooding is expected,\" the NHC warned, adding that \"several tornadoes are possible through tonight across parts of east Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas.\" 🌪️🌊
Houston, the sprawling city home to 2.3 million people, took a heavy hit. Early Monday, hurricane-strength winds and flooding battered the city, leading to at least four storm-related deaths. 😔
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez shared on social media that a 53-year-old man and a 74-year-old woman lost their lives in separate incidents involving trees falling on houses. Later, Houston Mayor John Whitmire announced that one person died after a lightning strike possibly ignited a fire, and a police department employee tragically died in floodwaters on his way to work. 🌩️🔥
As of Monday evening, about 2.6 million households in Texas were without electricity, according to PowerOutage.us. And with temperatures expected to soar above 32°C in the coming days, the lack of power is a serious concern. 🥵
Along the Texas coastline, scenes of devastation unfolded. Waterfront homes and buildings had their roofs torn off by the relentless winds. Several communities had issued voluntary or mandatory evacuation orders ahead of the storm, but the damage was still extensive. 🏚️
Residents are urged to stay safe, stay cool, and look out for one another as Texas begins the long road to recovery after Beryl's unwelcome visit. ❤️🩹
Reference(s):
Beryl downgraded after slamming Texas with deadly rains, wind
cgtn.com
