“Beryl” has weakened. But the storm is also leaving devastation in Texas. Millions of households are still without power, several people have died. Life is still in danger on the coast.
Millions of people in Texas are still without power as Tropical Storm Beryl continues to make its way through the US state. It will probably take several days until power is restored to the two to three million affected households, said the chairman of the operating company.
At least seven people have died in the state of Texas, for example as a result of falling trees, reported the newspaper “Houston Chronicle” and the broadcaster CNN, citing official information. Among the dead was a police officer in the metropolis of Houston, who drowned in his car on the way to work, Mayor John Whitmire said at a press conference.
US President Biden pledges support
In the neighboring state of Louisiana, one person also died as a result of the storm, CNN reported. US President Joe Biden expressed his condolences to those affected and promised support to the Texans. “We thank all first responders and will stand by the people of Texas every step of the way,” he wrote on the X platform.
In Jasper County on the border with the state of Louisiana, a tornado destroyed around three dozen houses. The US Hurricane Center warned of further tornadoes, flash floods and strong winds in parts of Texas and Louisiana. There is still a risk of life-threatening storm surges on the Gulf Coast, and people should be careful of the current.
“Beryl” continues to move northeast
“Beryl” made landfall as a hurricane near the Texas town of Matagorda early Monday morning (local time), but then lost strength. Matagorda is located about 130 kilometers southwest of the city of Houston, which has a population of one million.
“Beryl” has been keeping people in the region on tenterhooks for more than a week after it formed in the Atlantic at the end of June. In the southeast of the Caribbean, it temporarily reached the highest hurricane strength, Category 5, meaning sustained winds of more than 251 kilometers per hour. “Beryl” rushed over several islands in the Lesser Antilles, made landfall on the east coast of the Mexican Yucatán Peninsula, and then moved on through the Gulf of Mexico.
Several deaths also in the Caribbean
At least eleven people were killed in the Caribbean region, including three in Venezuela. On some islands in the island states of Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, more than 90 percent of the houses were damaged or destroyed, according to the governments. Jamaica also experienced major damage and widespread power outages in some places.
According to meteorologists, “Beryl” will continue to move northeast in the coming days and continue to lose strength.
