Deadly Beryl Floods Streets, Rips Roofs Off Homes

10 July 2024
KM Blog

Beryl made landfall in Texas as a hurricane. At least two people were killed by falling trees in the Houston area. Power outages impacted millions in eastern Texas.

By Jan Childs, Renee Straker, Jenn Jordan and Tim Harris

Several deaths in the Houston area are being connected to Beryl, including those of a police officer who was caught up in floodwaters on the way to work and two people whose homes were hit by falling trees.

Beryl roared ashore as a Category 1 hurricane near Matagorda, Texas, and ripped through towns along the Gulf of Mexico. The storm continued to push inland with dangerous flooding, wind and severe weather.

(MORE: Latest Forecast For Beryl | Beryl Maps Tracker)

Millions of people were without power and more than 1,400 flights were canceled at Houston area airports.

Here are our live updates from Monday:
(7:49 p.m. ET) What's Next For Beryl?

From weather.com digital meteorologist Madeline Scheinost:

Beryl weakened to a tropical depression, but that doesn't mean the threat it brings is over. Tornadoes will be possible tonight in parts of Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana, and that threat will spread into parts of the midwest and Ohio Valley tomorrow. Flash flooding will also be possible as heavy rains spread into the midwest.
(7:41 p.m. ET) Tropics Quiet, For Now

From weather.com meteorologist Danielle Banks:

The National Hurricane Center isn’t expecting any tropical cyclone formation in the next 7 days. While Beryl made history as the first Category 4 storm on record in June and the strongest July Atlantic hurricane on record, it's more common for this month to be quiet when it comes to tropical activity.
(7:03 p.m. ET) Death Toll Rises

At least four deaths are being connected to the storm. Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said an employee for the city of Houston died in floodwaters on their way to work.

Houston Police Chief Larry Satterwhite identified the employee as Information Security Officer Russell Richardson, 54. He became trapped in water under a highway overpass.

Houston Mayor John Whitmire said a person in southeast Houston died in a fire caused by lightning.
(6:55 p.m. ET) Power Could Be Out For Days

With power outages in Texas nearing 3 million, officials say restoration could take awhile.

Thousands of additional electrical workers are being brought in to help.

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who is acting governor while Gov. Greg Abbott is out of the country, said the storm brought down at least 10 transmission lines. Fallen trees also caused many outages.

More than 2.7 million homes, businesses and other utility customers are without power, according to PowerOutage.us.

The number of outages is starting to tick up in Louisiana, too, with about 26,000 being reported in the western part of the state.