A recent deadly storm in Houston caused a catastrophic collapse at a townhouse construction site. The storm also led to widespread power outages, affecting millions of homes.
(Photo : Pexels/Andre Furtado )
Townhouse Construction Site Collapse
On Thursday evening, May 16, a video Jeff Baker captured shows thunder flashing over a residential street in Houston, which occurs just before the timber framework of a townhouse collapses into a mass of rubble. Up to Saturday evening, May 18, the National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a flood warning that will continue to be in effect.
Due to the storm's ferocity, Houston saw significant damage, including the destruction of glass windows in businesses on the ground level and in high-rise buildings in the downtown area. Bricks were left behind after the storm ripped out a wall at a nightclub in the downtown area, which resulted in the downfall of trees and electricity lines.
By Friday morning, about one million utility consumers were reportedly still out of power. According to officials, the storm generated gusts that reached up to one hundred miles per hour. The authorities have warned the public to remain inside their homes until they examine the damage and sweep up the debris. In addition, some routes are still shut off. The severe winds caused damage to the power lines, which resulted in extensive disruptions to the service environment. Nearly all Houston's roads and streets were inaccessible, and the city's traffic lights malfunctioned.
Moreover, multiple skyscrapers in the downtown area sustained blown-out windows. On Friday, May 17, classes were held outside the Houston school district. Amid the Houston Astros' game against the Oakland Athletics, videos that were circulating online showed rain crashing through the closed roof of Minute Maid Park. As per the local news programs, a significant amount of damage was recorded in the downtown area of Houston, with the intensity of the winds smashing the windows of high-rise structures.
Also Read: 5 Essential Construction Rules You Need to Know When Building Your Dream House
Victims of the Devastating Storm
As a destructive complex of storms with winds of up to 100 mph tore through the region on Friday evening, the death toll increased from four to seven. Nearly 600,000 households and businesses in Harris County, Houston, were left without power on Friday evening as the storm's strongest winds knocked out power to over 900,000 during its height. Additionally, the Harris County Sheriff's Office found three additional people in the county who had passed away as a result of the storm.
On the other hand, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez announced that a man passed out while trying to move a fallen electrical pole, and a woman passed away from a fire that was caused by lightning striking the trailer that she was within. Another power-outage victim, according to Gonzales, proceeded to his vehicle to recharge his oxygen tank. The sheriff confirmed that he was pronounced dead at the scene after being discovered unresponsive this morning; further fatalities transpired in unincorporated Harris County.
Thus, the weather service designated intense storms traversing Texas and Louisiana as a derecho, an exceptionally destructive meteorological phenomenon distinguished by extensive wind damage and an extended sequence of thunderstorms. During his tour of the downtown area, Houston Mayor John Whitmire, who recently signed an official state of emergency declaration for the city, stated that the destruction is severe. According to Whitmire, they strongly recommend that everyone keep their distance from the area to ensure their safety and to provide public works professionals the opportunity to perform their essential duties.
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