Extreme weather phenomena are becoming more frequent in the USA. In the south of the country, several people died in storms and rain.
Severe storms have claimed the lives of at least four people in the Texas city of Houston and the surrounding area. Two of them were killed by falling trees, said fire chief Samuel Peña, according to media reports on Thursday evening (local time). Another person died when a crane tipped over. There were initially no further details about the fourth victim.
A violent storm with wind speeds of up to 160 kilometers per hour passed through the metropolis in the southern United States, said Mayor John Whitmire. There is severe damage in the city center. “There is glass everywhere on the streets, the traffic lights are out,” he added. He called on residents to stay at home if possible. Schools should remain closed on Friday.
According to reports, hundreds of windows in high-rise buildings were broken due to the strong wind. In addition, electricity pylons were toppled and overhead lines were damaged. According to the website Poweroutage.us, almost a million households in Texas were still without electricity on Friday night. In neighboring Louisiana, which was also hit by the storms, around 100,000 households were without power.
In both states, 600 percent more rain than usual has fallen in the past two weeks, the weather service said, according to CNN. This also has to do with climate change. In the past few days, four people have been killed in severe storms in the southern United States.
