Houston officials: Beryl is gone, but hazards remain Monday night
‘Don’t let the clear skies fool you.’ Houston’s widespread power outages will lead to more danger
As the sun broke through the clouds Monday afternoon and illuminated a city devastated by Hurricane Beryl, officials from the City of Houston urged residents not to become complacent.
“Don’t be fooled by the clear skies,” Mayor John Whitmire advised. We are still in dangerous situations.
According to Whitmire, the threat of flooded roads, falling tree limbs, and downed power lines still exists throughout a large portion of the city despite the winds and rain subsiding throughout the afternoon.
According to officials, 2.2 million people in the Houston area are without power.At least 3 people killed after Beryl makes landfall on Texas coast
Houston officials: Beryl is gone, but hazards remain Monday night: CounterPoint Energy employee Brad Tutunjian declined to provide an estimate for the city’s power restoration. He stated that while approximately 10,000 linemen from outside the region have been brought in to assist with repairs, the company must first conduct an assessment of the damage before it can estimate how long repairs will take.
According to officials, the large number of outages will increase the risk even further.
Justin Wells, executive assistant chief of the Houston Fire Department, was thinking about heat and carbon monoxide poisoning a lot.
Wells said, “Check on your neighbors.” Keep an eye on your home and loved ones.
After an evaluation of Houston’s multiservice centers and other city-owned facilities is finished, officials said, the city is expected to open shelters for those without power soon. An enormous number of the city’s multiservice places and libraries are without power.
Whitmire declined to provide an estimate regarding the opening date of the cooling centers.
Additionally, officials advised residents to remain inside for the remainder of Monday in light of dangers on the roads.
Houston officials: Beryl is gone, but hazards remain Monday night: According to officials, hundreds of street lights across the city are broken, increasing the risk of traffic accidents. Additionally, there is still standing water on numerous city roads.
Houston Public Works Chief Operating Officer Randy Macchi stated, “It’s going to take us a number of days and probably weeks to fully assess and repair all this damage.”
According to Whitmire, he has asked the federal government to declare the storm a disaster. At the news meeting, the city hall leader was flanked by U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and U.S. Rep. Al Green, D-Houston, who both said they would uphold the solicitation for a catastrophe statement.
Acting Gov. Dan Patrick is expected to send a formal request for the declaration in the next few hours, Cruz said. After that, President Joe Biden will have to declare a federal disaster, which will end federal aid to the region.
