The governor of Texas has been criticised for touring Asia as Hurricane Beryl lashed his state, killing at least seven people.
Greg Abbott is on a nine-day trip to Asia organised by the Texas office of Economic Development and Tourism. He departed Texas on Friday, leaving Dan Patrick as acting governor for Beryl’s arrival.
Just before the storm made landfall on Monday as a category one hurricane, Abbott wrote on X: “While I am in Taiwan, South Korea and Japan working on business deals worth billions, I remain in daily contact with Texas Division of Emergency Management and local officials to ensure preparation for Hurricane Beryl. Your safety is our top concern.”
As swathes of Texas were battered by up to nine inches of rain and 80mph winds, Abbott touted his “very productive afternoon” in Seoul — spurring a number of critical replies.
“My power went out in the middle of the night and I’m sure it will be out for days while we try to ride out the storm in 90+ degree heat and 100% humidity, but I’m glad you’re having a nice vacation,” one Galveston resident wrote.
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Another critic added: “I had an awesome trip to Seoul a few months ago, too. But I wasn’t bragging about it while abandoning my constituents in time of need.”
Eric Swalwell, a Democratic representative for California, also joined in: “My family in Texas are about to be slammed by #HurricaneBeryl. And shocker!… Governor @GregAbott_TX is out of the country.”
He made reference to a fellow Texas politician, senator Ted Cruz, who was pilloried for taking a beach trip to Mexico during a winter storm in 2021.
“Sound familiar @tedcruz?” Swalwell wrote. “My God. Who the hell are these leaders? And why aren’t they held to account?”
Abbott appeared to ignore the backlash and has continued posting updates on hurricane response efforts.
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At least seven deaths in Texas have been attributed to Beryl. In Houston a 53-year-old man and a 74-year-old woman were killed in two separate incidents where trees fell on their homes, according to officials.
Ed Gonzalez, the Harris County sheriff, said the 53-year-old man was “sitting in the house with family, riding out the storm” when an oak tree fell on his roof, which then fell on him.
Three people were also killed by fallen trees in Montgomery County. A civilian employee of the Houston Police Department drowned after getting caught in flood waters while driving to work. John Whitmire, the Houston Mayor, said another person died during a fire caused by lightning.
Overall, 19 deaths have been linked to Beryl since it strengthened into a category-five hurricane one week ago and cut a path across the Caribbean.
The storm knocked out power for 2.3 million Texans, mostly on the east side of the state, according to the utility company CenterPoint Energy.
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Beryl was re-categorised as a tropical storm as it moved deeper into Texas. The weather system is now moving north toward the Great Lakes and is expected to bring severe thunderstorms to the northeast on Wednesday.
After the storm itself had passed the Texas coast by Tuesday morning, forecasters warned of a new threat — heat. In Houston, high humidity was expected to drive “feels like” heat indices into the triple digits.
“We recommend that people stay hydrated, take frequent breaks and check in on especially young people, older people and people that have medical conditions that might put them at an extra elevated risk of being susceptible to heat,” said Jonathan Porter, a meteorologist at AccuWeather.
Beryl became the earliest storm in the hurricane season to develop to category five on July 1. The death toll includes three people killed in Grenada and three others in St Vincent and the Grenadines. Three people were reported dead in Venezuela before the hurricane moved to Jamaica, where two others died. Late last week the storm reached Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula before turning northeast to the US Gulf Coast.
Experts have said that Beryl’s destructive force this early into the season is the result of record warm water temperatures in the Atlantic.
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It comes as about 36 million Americans are under an excessive heat warning amid record-breaking temperatures from the east to west coast. In California, a heatwave has fuelled more than 20 active wildfires. The mercury reached 53.3C over the weekend at Death Valley National Park, where a visitor died from heat exposure and another person was taken to hospital.
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Beryl is the first big hurricane of the season. Although it was re-categorised as a tropical storm as it moved deeper into Texas, it has maintained winds of 70mph and widespread rainfall of two to four inches.
“Beryl’s moving inland but this is not the end of the story yet,” Jack Beven, a senior hurricane specialist at the National Hurricane Center, told the Associated Press. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has sent emergency responders, as well as other resources, to aid in search and rescue operations, the White House said.
As heavy rain continued to soak Houston and its surroundings, the National Weather Service urged residents to stay off the roads and take shelter in their homes.
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Beryl became the earliest storm in the hurricane season to develop to category five on July 1. The death toll includes three people killed in Grenada and three others in St Vincent and the Grenadines. Three people were reported dead in Venezuela before the hurricane moved to Jamaica, where two others died. Late last week the storm reached Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula before turning northeast to the US Gulf Coast.
Experts have said that Beryl’s destructive force this early into the season is the result of record warm water temperatures in the Atlantic.
It comes as about 36 million Americans are under an excessive heat warning amid record-breaking temperatures from the east to west coast. In California, a heatwave has fuelled more than 20 active wildfires. The mercury reached 53.3C over the weekend at Death Valley National Park, where a visitor died from heat exposure and another person was taken to hospital.
