Seven people have died, including a cement truck driver, due to the hurricane-force winds, strong storms and rain that have devastated Houston this week.
A 72-year-old man reportedly died after being crushed by a falling crane due to the devastating disaster.
The officers explained: ‘They did everything they could. Obviously a lot of heavy equipment to try to get people out. But prayers for their families. A huge tragic event.’
Although Houston Mayor John Whitmire confirmed at a news conference that four people had died in the city on May 16, Sheriff Ed Gonzalez later said there were three more victims in unincorporated Harris County.
A 72-year-old man has reportedly died after being crushed by a falling crane due to the devastating disaster.
Rain pours through the windows as a strong storm hits before a baseball game between the Oakland Athletics and the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park.
Louisiana Street is closed to traffic as workers clear debris from broken windows of the Wells Fargo Plaza building in Houston
The three deaths included a man who collapsed while trying to move a fallen power pole, a woman who was found dead in a trailer after lightning struck it and started a fire, and a man who was found dead after going to his truck to plug in an oxygen tank after the power went out.
Whitmire had previously said two people were killed by fallen trees and a third died after a crane overturned. He did not clarify how the fourth person in the city died.
Describing the storm, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo saying at a conference: “This type of wind is something we haven’t seen in Harris County since Hurricane Alicia in 1983.”
The National Weather Service said the storm peaked with 100 mph winds in Houston and there was an EF-1 tornado with 110 mph winds in Cypress.
People are seen running for shelter as unprecedented rain falls on the city along with debris destroying homes and cars.
The National Weather Service said the storm peaked with 100 mph winds in Houston and there was an EF-1 tornado with 110 mph winds in Cypress.
A damaged building is shown after a severe storm passed through downtown Houston.
Both Whitmire and Hidalgo have reportedly signed disaster declarations that may increase additional authority and aid in affected areas.
Whitmire previously recommended residents stay home instead of driving to work and asked that only essential workers make the dangerous trip.
Schools have also been closed due to widespread power outages and disabled traffic lights.
‘Stay home tonight, don’t go to work tomorrow unless you are an essential worker. Stay home, take care of your children.
“Our first responders will work around the clock,” the mayor told the panicked public.
A woman looks at the damage caused by bricks fallen from the wall of a building in Houston
Crews work to clear debris after a wall falls.
Videos and images show broken windows on downtown buildings, cranes swaying in the wind, people running for shelter as unprecedented rains fall on the city along with debris destroying homes and cars.
The Houston Fire Department has advised locals to leave their homes immediately and call 911 if they smell gas in their home.
According C.B.S.922,000 homes and businesses were affected by outages from the time the storm peaked.
CenterPoint Energy officials have said restoration could take days to the hardest-hit areas.