Beryl Slams Texas' Gulf Coast, Taking Out Power to Millions, Killing at Least 3

More than two million people in Texas and elsewhere lost power Monday as tropical storm Beryl slammed into the southern US. Two people were killed by falling trees north of downtown Houston. Beryl also killed at least 11 people on islands in the Caribbean.  

Beryl made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane. It brought powerful winds and rain that were stronger than first expected. Local leaders urged people to take shelter as if a tornado were passing through their region. Wind gusts of more than 80 miles per hour were reported. But the storm weakened as it moved inland and northeast into Louisiana and Arkansas.    

Bayous and streets in Houston flooded. They could not drain the heavy rainfall. A flood warning system was activated in parts of the region as water rose to dangerous levels. First responders hurried to save people stranded in cars and other places overcome with rushing waters, The Associated Press (AP) reported. Hundreds of trees fell around the major urban region.  

A third person died in connection with the storm on Monday morning. That's according to Houston’s fire chief, Samuel Peña. The person died in a house fire on the city’s southeast side.  

“We haven’t really slept,” Eva Costancio told the AP as she looked at a downed tree spread across power lines. She lives in a suburb of Houston. She worried that food in her refrigerator would soon spoil. That's because they have been without power. “Losing that food would be difficult,” she said.  

Leaders warned that Beryl brought so much rain that flooding won’t ease for days and could worsen. 

Reflect: How can communities prepare and work together to handle the impact of a severe weather event like a hurricane?