1.8 Million Customers Without Power as Hurricane Beryl Moves Inland

By Pooja Salhotra, The Texas Tribune

Hurricane Beryl has knocked out power for more than 1.8 million Texas customers, as of 9 a.m. Monday, based on estimates from PowerOutage.us and CenterPoint Energy.

Outages are most extensive in the Houston area and coastal counties including Matagorda, where Beryl landed as a Category 1 hurricane at approximately 4 a.m. Monday morning. Significant outages are also in Galveston County, Calhoun County and Jackson County. As the morning progressed, outages extended further inland and into Deep East Texas to areas including Polk, San Jacinto, Montgomery, Grimes and Washington Counties.

Most of the outages are among customers who receive power from CenterPointEnergy. CenterPoint is the main electricity provider for the vast majority of residents in Harris and Fort Bend counties and also provides electricity to dozens of East Texas communities. The provider is not currently providing county-specific numbers on outages.

At 9:17 a.m., PowerOutage.us reported that more than 1.7 million of CenterPoint's 2.6 million Texas customers lacked electricity.

“As soon as safe to do so, you’ll see our crews headed out to start assessing damage and developing restoration plans,” CenterPoint said on social media platform X. The company warned people to stay away from downed wires and to not attempt to remove tree limbs or objects from power lines. Customers are instead advised to report outages and hazardous conditions to their power company or local authorities.

— Pooja Salhotra

Person killed after Beryl knocks tree on to Harris County house, authorities say

July 8, 2024 at 8:53 a.m.

One person has died and another was injured after Hurricane Beryl downed a tree on a home in Atascocita, a suburban community in northeastern Harris County.

The Atascocita Fire Department responded to a call about a fallen tree at approximately 6:30 a.m., according to Jerry Dilliard, the department’s spokesperson. Two people were at the residence, and one was deceased at the scene. The second person was transported to the hospital and their condition is currently unclear.

“One person was trapped under a ceiling in a part of the house that the tree had fallen on,” Dilliard said.

No other storm-related injuries have been reported, but power lines, poles and trees are down throughout the community, Dilliard said.

Winds are in excess of 45 miles per hour in Atascocita, so the department has temporarily suspended operations until wind speeds slow, Dilliard said.

In an email, Harris County Sheriff’s Office senior deputy Thomas Gilliland confirmed the death, noting that a tree fell on a house and a man was trapped under debris.

“That tragic incident is being worked by our personnel,” Gilliland wrote.

Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzales said on X that the deceased person is a 53-year-old man who was “sitting in a house with family, riding out the storm.”

— Pooja Salhotra

Houston area sees heavy rains, flash floods as Beryl moves inland

July 8, 2024 at 8:16 a.m.

A wide swath of Texas is expected to receive several inches of rain Monday as the remnants of Beryl is forecast to move northeast across the state. At 8 a.m., the eye of the storm was located about 30 miles southwest of Houston and was moving northward at 12 miles per hour, according to a National Hurricane Center advisory. Winds had slowed slightly to 75 miles per hour, down from the 80-mile-per-hour winds that hit Matagorda earlier in the morning.

The National Hurricane Center said that up to 10 inches of rain could fall in some places — and some isolated areas of the state may receive 15 inches.

On Monday morning, local officials in the Houston area said the storm had downed trees and caused street flooding. In Rosenberg, a city 35 miles southwest of Houston, a downed tree hit a high water rescue vehicle returning from a rescue, police said on X. Officials urged residents to stay off roadways.

Some river flooding could also occur Monday, the National Hurricane Center warned. Beryl is expected to weaken from a hurricane to a tropical storm later on Monday.

Tornadoes are also possible across along the upper Texas coast and across parts of East Texas on Monday.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said Sunday that Texans living east of Interstate 35 could bear the brunt of the storm.

“Residents sheltering in place should take precautions right away for sustained wind, heavy rain, flooding, storm surges on the coast, and possible tornados,” Patrick said.

— Brandon Formby and Pooja Salhotra

A National Weather Service graphic shows potential rainfall from Hurricane Beryl, which made landfall near Matagorda at about 4 a.m. on Monday. The storm is expected to move northeast on a track through East Texas, finally leaving the state early Tuesday. Credit: National Weather Service

Beryl makes landfall in Texas as Category 1 hurricane

July 8, 2024 at 5:37 a.m.

Hurricane Beryl made landfall near Matagorda around 4 a.m. Monday as a Category 1 Hurricane, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm strengthened through Sunday evening and had maximum sustained winds of 80 miles per hour when it came ashore. A 5 a.m. advisory from the National Hurricane Center warned about life-threatening storm surge and inland flooding Monday.

Hundreds of thousands of Texans are without power, including many in coastline counties such as Brazoria and Matagorda, according to PowerOutage.us. The full scope of the storm's damage is not yet clear — and it could cause more Monday as it moves northeast through the state.

The hurricane center said the coast was experiencing life-threatening storm surge. It also warned of flash floods throughout the southeastern portion of the state as the storm continues moving inland, bringing five to 10 inches of rain to some areas — or up to 15 inches in some isolated places.

Category 1 storms primarily damage unanchored mobile homes, shrubbery and trees. They can also do extensive damage to electricity lines and cause power outages that last several days.

— Pooja Salhotra

What should I do after a hurricane hits?

July 8, 2024 at 5:00 a.m.

Stay away from flood waters and damaged power lines. Don’t enter damaged buildings. Take photos and document damages to your home or property. Residents are also encouraged to document their storm damages and losses through a state-run online survey to help state officials understand the extent of the damages.

Organizations like the American Red Cross, Salvation Army and local volunteer organizations can help you find food, shelter and supplies, as well as even assist you with clean-up efforts.

[How to navigate FEMA during this year’s hurricane season]

Government and community resources may be available to help with recovery. Disaster declarations from the governor and president may free up federal funds for recovery assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. People cannot receive disaster aid and insurance assistance for the same damages, so insured Texans should file claims through their existing policies before applying for FEMA assistance.

— Maria Probert Hermosillo and Pooja Salhotra

This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at https://www.texastribune.org/2024/07/08/hurricane-beryl-texas-damage-updates-rain/.