Hurricane-force winds toppled buildings, caused glass to fall from downtown skyscrapers and knocked out power to nearly a million homes in Houston, killing at least four people, authorities said.
A powerful storm was moving quickly through the metro area on the evening of Thursday, May 16, Houston Mayor John Whitmire said.
“It was fierce, it was intense, it was fast and most Houstonians didn’t have time to get out of harm’s way,” Whitmire told reporters Friday.
Falling trees claimed the lives of at least two people, while another was killed in an accident involving a crane tipping over, The Houston Chronicle reported.
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On Friday morning, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo and Whitmire jointly reported on the effects of the storm, which resulted in the cancellation of classes for 400,000 students in schools and the closure of government offices.
“We will have to talk about this disaster in a few weeks, not days,” Hidalgo said.
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As of midday Friday, nearly 700,000 residents of Harris County were still without power, as authorities warned residents to avoid nonessential driving — especially downtown, where streets were covered in glass.
“Downtown is a mess,” Whitmire said.
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In videos shared on social media, the impact of the powerful storm seemingly caught residents by surprise.
CW affiliate meteorologist Adam Krueger posted a snapshot of the moment on X, when high winds blew down one side of the Conejo Malo entertainment venue.
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Elsewhere downtown, a Houston Astros game was being played under the roof of Minute Maid Park.
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But the rain and wind still found their way in, pounding the warning track.
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