8 dead, 2.5M without power as Beryl slams Texas, Louisiana

July 8 (UPI) -- At least eight people were killed after Hurricane Beryl slammed southeast Texas with heavy winds, rain and flash flooding Monday. More than 2.5 million were still without power late Monday.

The death toll included seven people killed in Texas and one in Louisiana.

Beryl made landfall at 4:30 a.m. as a Category 1 storm with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph near Matagorda. It is the first storm in the Atlantic hurricane season to make landfall in the United States.

After coming ashore, the hurricane was downgraded to a tropical storm as it passed through the Houston area, about 94 miles from Matagorda, with sustained winds of 60 mph. On Monday night , the sustained winds dropped to 45 mph.

Matagorda appeared to withstand major long-term damage as the rain and winds began to subside during the day.

Strong winds recorded include 94 mph in Freeport, 85 mph at Brazoria County Airport and, at Hobby International Airport, 76 mph. Houston's George Bush International Airport recorded wind speeds of 67 mph.

In Texas' Montgomery County, three people died within an hour span midday, according to local judge Mark Keough's office, KOU11 reported.

The victims were identified as a man in his 40s, and a man and a woman who appeared to be homeless. All were killed by fallen trees.

In Harris County, two people died.

A 74-year old woman was killed when a tree fell on her house, according a statement from Harris County Constable Precinct 4.

And a 53-year-old man died after becoming trapped under debris when a tree fell on his house, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said.

"The man (53) was reportedly sitting in his house with family, riding out the storm. An oak tree fell on roof and hit rafters, structure fell on the male. Wife and children unharmed," he said on X.

Two others also died in Houston. One was from fire that Mayor John Whitmire said is believed to be storm-related. The other fatality was a civilian worker for the Houston Police Department, he said.

Russell Richardson, 54, drowned in his vehicle while driving it work when hit by flooding while under an underpass.

"I've been there all afternoon watching his colleagues retrieve his body from his submerged car. Horrible situation," he told reporters during a Monday night press conference .

In Louisiana, a woman died when a tree fell on her home in Bossier Parish near the Texas border, the sheriff's office said in a Facebook post .

Nine others died after the storm hammered the Caribbean islands and Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula last week.

Whitmire, calling the situation "an emergency," said during a morning briefing residents should shelter in place because of winds, rain and flooding.

"Don't let the clear skies fool you. We still have dangerous circumstances, we still have high water across our city," Whitmire said during an afternoon conference.

Widespread rainfall amounts of 4 to 8 inches have fallen there since Sunday night, with much of the rain falling since daybreak on Monday.

Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport picked up more than 4.5 inches of rain since midnight, according to National Weather Service data. Normally, it records 3.77 inches for the entire month of July.

Texas Department of Transportation crews worked to clear debris and downed trees.

Maintenance crews have been hard at work throughout the morning hours clearing debris and downed trees. Please continue to monitor local weather and check https://t.co/yxU1zdB9BS for the current road conditions. And remember turn around, don't drown. #BeSafeDriveSmart pic.twitter.com/TEkpvyNJ1J — TxDOT Bryan (@TxDOTBryan) July 8, 2024

Around 2.5 million people in Texas are without power out of 13.8 million customers, according to Poweroutages.US , including more than 251,000 in Montgomery County, which is north of Harris County. In Louisiana, more than 31,000 didn't have electricity.

It will take several days to restore power to the millions of people across the state, Thomas Gleeson, the chairman of the Public Utility Commission of Texas said at a news conference.

There were 19 calls for water rescues from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Nearly 1,500 flights have been canceled into and out of Houston's two major airports.

According to the flight tracking website FlightAware.com , 91% of the flights out of Bush Intercontinental Airport, totaling 604, were canceled through Monday night and another 165 flights -- 78% of all outgoing trips -- out of William P. Hobby Airport.

Flightaware said 560 flights originally scheduled into Bush were canceled, making up 83% of the airport's incoming flights, while 147 incoming fights into Hobby -- 68% -- were canceled. In all, there were 2,336 cancellations in and out of the United States on Monday.

The worst of the rain and windy conditions were expected to be over by 7 p.m. local time, according to the Houston Chronicle .

Metropolitan Transit Authority was not operating service, including buses or rail. Door Dash suspended service until 9 a.m. Tuesday.

Shipping traffic already had been restricted or closed ahead of Beryl's arrival, including ports in Corpus Christi, Houston, Galveston, Freeport and Texas City.

Port Houston expects to resume operations Tuesday. A gauge showed water 10.29 feet above its typical level after 9 a.m.

The U.S. Coast Guard, Galveston Port Police and port staff will conduct assessments to determine when waterways and port operations can open.

A portion of Interstate 45 North Freeway southbound was blocked off due to high water. Other roadways, including the Fred Hartman Bridge that connects La Porte to Baytown, were shuttered Monday morning because of high winds.

And bayous and streams across the Houston area are overflowing. Some areas had more than 5 inches of rain, according to data from the Harris County Flood Control District. Several have surpassed 10 inches.

Hurricane Beryl damaged part of the roof and several windows at St. Luke's Health-Brazosport Hospital in Lake Jackson, a spokesperson said. The hospital was operating on generator power.

Surfside Beach in Brazoria County was under between 5 and 7 feet of water from storm surge, Mayor Gregg Bisso said.

In Galveston , officials urged people to shelter in place and remain off roadways because of substantial debris and traffic lights out of order.

There were reports of severe damage in Hitchcock besides flooding and downed trees. About 4 feet of flood water along Highway 6.

The National Weather Service Lake Charles confirmed a tornado near Jasper at 11:11 a.m. with 30 to 40 homes damaged, according to Jasper County Judge Mark Allen .

The tornado hit an apartment complex and nursing home facility.

A tornado also touched down in the east Texas town of Timpson.

And there were tornadoes near the Texas-Lousiana border.

Storm surge was expected to lift sea levels up to 7 feet in Port O'Connor to San Luis Pass, 6 feet in Sabine Pass and Galveston Bay, and 5 feet in High Island, according to the National Hurricane Center.

NHC said the fast-moving storm is expected to move into the Lower Mississippi Valley on Tuesday and then the Ohio Valley by Wednesday.

While wind speeds are expected to drop significantly throughout Monday, the storm is expected to continue to dump substantial rain over its affected areas. Beryl is predicted to drop up to 15 inches of rain across some areas of the middle to upper Texas Coast.

"Heavy rainfall of 3 to 5 inches, with locally higher amounts possible, is expected across portions of far southeastern Oklahoma, Arkansas and southern Missouri tonight into Tuesday," NHC said.