July 8 (UPI) — Two people died in the Houston area after Hurricane Beryl slammed southeast Texas with heavy winds, rain and flash flooding Monday morning.
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 later was downgraded to a tropical storm as it passed through the Houston area, about 94 miles from Matagorda, with sustained winds of 60 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.
The fatalities in Texas were separate incidents of trees falling on homes in Houston’s Harris County. Nine others died after the storm hammered the Caribbean islands and Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula.
A 53-year-old man was sitting in the house with his family as they were hunkering down during the storm. An oak tree fell on the roof and hit the rafters, causing it to fall on the man. His family members were uninjured.
Later, a 74-year-old woman died in northwest Houston when a tree fell on her house. The woman was with her grandchildren when the tree fell while she was in her room.
Houston Mayor John Whitmire, calling the situation “an emergency,” said during a morning briefing residents should shelter in place because of winds, rain and flooding.
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.
