BERYL'S WRATH
Dramatic Hurricane Beryl video shows storm hit Texas crushing homes & leaving 7 dead & 2m in its path now without power
Beryl reached the US after leaving a path of destruction in Mexico and Jamaica
JAW-DROPPING video shows a trail of wreckage left behind as Hurricane Beryl made landfall in Texas as a Category 1 storm.
At least 7 people are dead, millions are without power, and busy roadways are submerged under water after the powerful storm barreled through East Texas on Monday.
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Hurricane Beryl officially made landfall in the United States on Monday after leaving a path of destruction in parts of Mexico and Jamaica last week.
The storm touched down in Matagorda, about two hours southeast of Houston, at around 2:30 am, pounding the coastal region with torrential rainfall and mighty winds recorded at 70-90 mph.
Thousands across East Texas are experiencing widespread flooding.
Power outage reports have mounted in the hours since Beryl's arrival.
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More than two million homes and businesses were without power as of 8:30 am on Monday, according to CenterPoint Energy in Houston.
But 12 hours later, that number had decreased, with the expectation that one million customers will have power restored by Wednesday, CenterPoint Energy said in an update.
The storm has shut down major airports across Texas, with more than 1,300 flight cancellations at George Bush International Airport and William P. Hobby Airport, among others.
In the aftermath of Beryl's landfall, major highways were turned to rivers, dozens of vehicles were submerged in water, trees toppled across the state, and the roofs of businesses and homes were ripped apart.
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At least seven people have died in the Houston area due to the storm, according to local Fox News affiliate WOTF.
Russell Richardson, an IT security officer at the Houston Police Department, was killed after getting trapped in his car by flood waters while driving to work, Houston Mayor John Whitmire shared on Monday.
Hurricane Beryl Causes Mobile Home to Blow Over
Another unidentified person died in a fire thought to be caused by lightning from the storm in Southeast Houston, the mayor confirmed.
The Houston County Sheriff's Office reported at least one death in Humble, about 19 miles from Houston.
The unidentified 53-year-old man was sitting in his home when an oak tree crashed on the roof, crushing the victim, according to Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.
A second man was killed in Montgomery County when a wind gust brought a massive tree down onto the victim and his tractor.
A 73-year-old grandmother Maria Laredo from Harris County was also killed when a tree fell on her home, authorities told NBC affiliate WFLA-TV.
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Another elderly woman and a child with autism in Bend County got lost during the storm and drowned, Fort Bend County Sheriff Eric Fagan confirmed.
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
The National Weather Service has reported that the Houston Metro area will experience flash flooding throughout Monday morning.
Parts of Houston can see 2-4 inches of rainfall an hour.
Beryl formed in the Atlantic Ocean on June 29 and rapidly intensified as it reached the Caribbean Sea.
The storm made its first landfall as a life-threatening Category 4 hurricane on Carriacou Island on July 1.
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Hurricane Beryl continued its destructive path along the Caribbean Sea, leaving parts of Jamaica in ruins.
By July 5, Beryl landed northeast of Tulum, in Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula, as a Category 2 storm with 110 mph winds and heavy downpours.
Over the weekend, Beryl emerged over the southwestern Gulf of Mexico before touching down in East Texas on Monday.
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But the storm was downgraded to a tropical depression by Monday evening.
Beryl should exit Texas by Tuesday morning before dumping heavy rainfall throughout Arkansas, Indiana, and parts of Illinois.
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