HOUSTON — In the aftermath of a powerful storm that ravaged Houston last Thursday, the biggest city in Texas continues to grapple with significant disruptions.
At least seven people were killed in Houston as hurricane-strength winds blew through amid a massive storm, reported CNN. More than 140,000 residents are still without power, and with climbing summer temperatures approaching, various recovery efforts are underway across the city.
As witnessed by The Dallas Express, wind speeds reached up to 100 mph on Thursday, prompting dangerous conditions and multiple tornado warnings. Uprooted trees, broken street signs, and power outages were some of the common sights from the downtown area to Cypress and further beyond the city limits.
When Houstonians began their work week, downtown Houston remained in disarray, with extensive damage to many different areas. Broken windows and debris still littered the streets, prompting the city to set up a six-block exclusion zone, according to the Houston Chronicle.
The storm has forced the closure of dozens of Houston ISD campuses. As of Tuesday morning, 38 schools remained closed. Houston ISD is collaborating with CenterPoint Energy to restore power and air conditioning and reopen campuses as soon as possible.
CenterPoint Energy said it was trying to make progress for Houston area clients, having restored power to over 85% of affected customers. As of Tuesday morning, 143,323 customers were still in the dark. The utility company said it aims to fully restore power by Wednesday evening, contingent on the conditions of individual properties.
During the height of the storm, over 900,000 homes and businesses in Harris County lost power, and by Friday evening, nearly 600,000 were still without electricity, per CNN.
With temperatures soaring, Houston has opened dozens of cooling centers across the city, according to Houston Public Media. These centers are crucial for Houstonians this week as the heat index is expected to reach 100 degrees or higher.
Furthermore, METRO Houston has resumed some transportation services, though some routes are still suspended due to power outages, per the Houston Chronicle.