Beryl claims lives as millions remain without power amid dangerous heat

BRYAN, Texas (TND) — Several people have died after Hurricane Beryl crashed into Texas. Some of those that died were killed by fallen trees, rising flood waters and lightening, according to officials. Now millions still remain without power as dangerous heat is forecasted.

Hurricane Beryl has claimed the lives of at least four Texans, according to Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.

Patrick, who is the acting governor while Governor Greg Abbott is in East Asia for an economic trip, spoke to reporters from an emergency response center in Bryan, Texas.

"It just breaks my heart. We've had four deaths so far, I believe it's the last count, and a couple of those were by falling trees," said Patrick.

Fallen trees in Texas killed two people in the Houston-area on Monday - one was a 74-year-old woman and the other was a 53-year-old man, according to Harris County Precinct 4 Constable Mark Henry.

The third person, a 54-year-old security guard who worked for the Houston Police Department, was killed in rising flood waters.

"Every time I see someone drown by driving on a road where the water is uncertain how deep it is, it's just heartbreaking. It just didn't have to happen," Patrick said Tuesday morning. "So just a tragedy for what I would call a hero coming to work in 50 mph winds and a lot of rain."

A fourth person was a man killed in a fire believed to have been started by lightning, according to Houston Mayor John Whitmire who spoke to the public at a news conference Monday.

Nim Kidd, head of the state’s division of emergency management, on Tuesday said the Harris County Medical Examiner reported two carbon monoxide-related deaths as people use generators to power their homes.

"While power is off, people are running generators, whether it's in their garage or right near windows that are open. That carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas... you can't see it, smell it, or taste it, but if you have a generator that you're running, please make sure it's far away from the area you are living in and sleeping in," said Kidd.

Beryl was also blamed for killing at least one person in Louisiana, according to officials.

Bossier Parish Sheriff's Office confirmed a woman died after a tree fell on her house during the storm in Benton.

More than 2.2 million Texans remain without power from Beryl's destruction.

Officials, who are now in response mode, are dealing with dangerous heat in Texas.

The National Weather Service issued a heat advisory for the southeast area of the state.

Temperatures are expected to reach the low 90s but the "feels-like temperatures" could reach as high as 105 degrees.

Weather experts warned that the lack of proper cooling combined with people cleaning up after the storm could produce dangerous heat conditions.

State officials warned that restoring power will take several days.

"We still have a lot of people without power in the area, and we're addressing that. Of course, that's a local company's responsibility to get that up, but they're making progress toward that," said Texas chief of state emergency operations, Chief Nim Kidd.

The state was opening cooling centers as well as food and water distribution centers, said Kidd.

City officials in the coastal city of Galveston have estimated it could be as many as two weeks before electricity is restored.

Power has come back for some of the millions of homes and businesses left in the dark when Hurricane Beryl slammed into the Houston area, while the weakened storm moved east, spawning suspected tornadoes and causing more damage.

After a peak Monday of more than 2.7 million customers around Houston without power, the numbers improved to more than 2.2 million homes and businesses lacking electricity by Tuesday morning, according to PowerOutage.us.

Officials have asked residents to stay home if possible due to the outside conditions that pose a threat.

Houstonians need to know we're working around the clock so you will be safe," Houston Mayor John Whitmire said Monday at a media briefing, urging residents to also know the dangers of high water, to stay hydrated and to check on their neighbors.

Beryl later Monday weakened into a tropical depression and by Tuesday morning the weather service said it was about 95 miles (155 kilometers) north of Shreveport, Louisiana, moving northeast with maximum sustained wind speeds near 30 mph (48 kph). Its strength wasn't expected to change much in the next day or two.

While weakened, Beryl threatened to unleash more harsh weather over several other states in coming days. The storm was expected to bring heavy rainfall and possible flash flooding from the lower and mid-Mississippi Valley to the Great Lakes on Tuesday into Wednesday, the weather service said.

A flood watch was in effect for parts of Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan and tornadoes were possible through the early morning across parts of the Mid-South. A few tornadoes were possible from midday to the early evening in Missouri, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio, according to the weather service.

The storm still packed a punch, and the weather service confirmed on social media Monday evening that tornadoes had been spotted in northeastern Louisiana.

Dozens of tornado warnings were issued in Louisiana and Arkansas on Monday evening.

Texas state and local officials warned it could take several days to fully restore power after Beryl came ashore as a Category 1 hurricane, toppled 10 transmission lines and knocked down trees that took down power lines.

Beryl on Tuesday was far less powerful than the Category 5 behemoth that earlier tore a deadly path of destruction through parts of Mexico and the Caribbean. But its winds and rains still knocked down hundreds of trees that had already been teetering in water-saturated earth, and strand dozens of cars on flooded roadways.

President Joe Biden was getting regular updates on the storm and called the Houston mayor on Monday, the White House said. He told the mayor his administration will make sure Texans have the resources they need to get through the storm and recovery.