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Seven people are confirmed dead after Hurricane Beryl tore into the Houston region Monday, flooding streets and downing trees.
Local authorities have confirmed three people were killed by falling trees; two were found dead in a tent in Magnolia; Houston Police Department employee Russell Richardson died in floodwaters; and a woman died in a house fire caused by lightning.
Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd on Tuesday confirmed two additional deaths due to carbon monoxide poisoning in Harris County.
And in Galveston, 71-year-old Judith Greet died after her RV lost power and her oxygen machine ran out of battery, according to reporting by the Texas Tribune. Officials in Galveston said that one medical casualty was reported during the disaster, but were still investigating to see if the death could be attributed to the storm.
In an afternoon press conference on Monday, Mayor John Whitmire told reporters that HPD’s Richardson, 54, called his coworkers for help after he exited off Interstate 45 and was caught in floodwaters. The information security officer was on his way to work, according to a statement by acting Houston Police Department Chief Larry Satterwhite.
The storm dumped nearly a foot of water on parts of the region, flooding bayous and stranding cars and drivers. By 11 a.m. the fire department had already completed 50 water rescues, while the Houston Police Department deployed over 30, Houston Fire Chief Peña told the Abdelraoufsinno on Monday.
As rain fell, wind had also toppled trees and branches – hurtling them to the ground with deadly force.
Before 8 a.m., a father in Humble was killed after a tree slammed through his roof and trapped him under the debris. The 53-year-old was sitting in the house with his wife and children when the trunk came crashing down, according to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.
Another man in his 40s was struck by a falling tree while driving his tractor in east Montgomery County, according to a press release from Trey Baxter, section chief at the Montgomery County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
Montgomery County officials did not provide additional details about the two people found dead in Magnolia.
more beryl coverage
Where to go, who to call if you need help after Hurricane Beryl
by Angelica Perez
In north Harris County, another tree crashed through the roof of a 74-year-old grandmother’s room. KHOU 11 identified her as Maria Loredo, who lived with her son and his family at the home. Loredo’s family is raising money for repairs and funeral expenses, calling her a “loving grandmother” in a post to GoFundMe.
“It happened super fast as I was going downstairs to check on my son, that's when I heard the big crack. My son was screaming ‘grandma' because he saw me crying and telling my husband ‘go check on your mom,’” Loredo’s daughter-in-law told the TV station.
Photos provided by the local constable’s office showed the house, on the 17400 block of Rustic Canyon Trail, crushed and obscured by an uprooted tree.
“Please keep her family in your prayers,” Constable Mark Herman wrote on Facebook.
Meanwhile, in southeast Houston, the Houston Fire Department reported the death of a woman on Bendell Street around 5:30 a.m. She was killed in a fire ignited by lightning shortly after the storm began whipping through the neighborhood, according to Whitmire.
At a separate press conference on Monday afternoon, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said that while the violence of the storm had passed, “power continues to be the main threat.”
In the wake of widespread power outages, Houston Fire Chief Peña encouraged Houstonians to practice generator safety as over 2 million residents wait for electricity to be restored to their homes.
Generators, while helpful in the event of a power outage, can also cause fires, carbon monoxide poisoning, and electric shock. Experts urge that community members keep generators dry, outdoors, and to let it cool down before refueling.
The two residents who died by carbon monoxide poisoning were not identified on Tuesday.
If you or your family are currently facing danger, or need help in the wake of the storm, here’s a list of where to go and who to call.
Abdelraoufsinno reporter Paul Cobler contributed to this story.
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