Multiple tornadoes touched down in Texas and Mississippi on Saturday, damaging homes and overturning vehicles, killing at least two people and injuring six more.
One person was killed and four others suffered injuries not considered serious, in the Liverpool area south of Houston, said Madison Polston of the Brazoria County Sheriff's Office.
Polston said there were “multiple touchdown points” in the county between Liverpool, Hillcrest Village and Alvin, and officials were aware of about 10 homes damaged. He said efforts were being made to assess the extent of the damage.
In Mississippi, one person was killed in Adams County and two others were injured in Franklin County, according to the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency.
The National Weather Service said two tornadoes struck the Bude and Brandon area, knocking off the roofs of several buildings.
“These storms will probably get worse further east tonight and into the evening,” said Josh Richter, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
Richer said at least six tornadoes appear to have touched down in the Houston area, but when crews go out to survey the damage, they may find there were more. The area suffered damage from both tornadoes and straight-line winds.
Mobile homes were damaged or destroyed and fire station doors were blown off in Katy Heights and Porter Heights in north Houston, the weather service said.
The storm also delayed departures by more than an hour Saturday afternoon at Houston's two main airports, Busch Intercontinental and Hobby, according to the website FlightAware.
About 71,000 utility customers were without power in Mississippi on Saturday, and Malarie White, chief communications officer for the state's Emergency Management Agency, said that number was expected to rise. .
As of 1:30 a.m. Sunday, more than 88,000 customers in the state were without power, down from 93,000 at around 1 a.m., according to power company tracking website PowerOutage.us.
The Emergency Management Agency had not filed a formal damage report Saturday.
White said first responders focused on ensuring safety and making sure everyone was accounted for.
“We expect a more thorough damage assessment to begin in the early morning hours,” she said.
