"170 km/h" Strong Winds Hit Texas, USA... At Least 7 Dead

Strong winds exceeding a maximum speed of 170 km/h swept through the Houston area in Texas, USA, resulting in at least seven deaths and power outages affecting one million households.

A man cutting a tree that fell due to strong winds in the Houston area of Texas [Image source=AP Yonhap News]

According to CNN and other broadcasts on the 17th (local time), a tornado with a maximum wind speed of 110 mph (177 km/h) occurred near Cypress in Harris County, a northwestern suburb of Houston, the previous day, with strong winds of 84 mph (135 km/h) blowing throughout the city. Heavy rain accompanied by gusts reaching up to 100 mph (161 km/h) also poured down in Houston city and nearby areas such as Baytown, and strong winds swept through neighboring Louisiana.

As a result, significant damage occurred, with at least seven people reported dead. Trees and cranes toppled by the strong winds fell on pedestrians, and a man died while clearing fallen utility poles. A woman reportedly died in a fire caused by lightning while inside a trailer.

Property damage also followed. Nearly one million homes and businesses in Harris County, Houston, experienced power outages, and as of the afternoon, electricity supply remained cut off to hundreds of thousands of households. The city reported that at least 2,500 traffic lights were out across various roads. In addition, building windows were broken, walls fell off, trees, cranes, and transmission towers collapsed, and flooding occurred in many places, causing extensive damage throughout the city.

Schools in the Houston area were ordered to close, and government offices also shut down. Houston Mayor John Whitmire described the city as "a complete mess," urging citizens to stay home, saying, "The roads are covered with broken glass, and traffic lights are not working, making it dangerous."

Texas Governor Greg Abbott requested the federal government to declare a disaster area. Earlier this month, strong storms swept through about one-third of Texas, flooding over 700 homes and prompting the state government to declare a state of emergency.