Power outages across storm-hit Texas on Wednesday could last through the weekend as the storm flooded roads in Houston for the second time this month, ripped roofs off Dallas and killed a teenager, injuring others.
A teenager died at a construction site on Tuesday while trying to repair a collapsed home, and three people at a campsite were electrocuted by downed power lines as the severe weather temporarily left more than a million homes and businesses without power.
Tornadoes destroy homes, overturn trucks, residents evacuated in Texas, Oklahoma
Power company Oncor said it expected power to be restored to most Dallas-area customers by Friday, but some outages would continue through the weekend. More than 1 million homes and businesses across Texas were without power at one point, but power had been restored to about 70% of customers by Wednesday afternoon.
Haley Rukota, left, and her fiance, Devin Johnson, salvage belongings from storm debris after their home was destroyed along Barnsley Loop in Madisonville, Kentucky, Tuesday, May 28, 2024. A series of powerful storms pounded the central and southern United States over the Memorial Day holiday weekend. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Houston was hit by flooding and damage just weeks after a storm ripped through the region, killing eight people. The 16-year-old worker died in the suburb of Magnolia, northeast of the city. He was an employee of a construction company, according to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office.
A 6-year-old boy and two other people are in critical condition after being electrocuted by a downed power line at a campground north of Houston, authorities said.
Witnesses saw the 59-year-old man touching electrical wires on Tuesday, but investigators are trying to determine how the other two were electrocuted, Montgomery County Fire Chief Jimmy Williams said Wednesday.
During the storm, a couple driving in Spring, a suburb of Houston, took a wrong turn and discovered their pickup truck submerged in a culvert.
Ashley Rene Young said her boyfriend, Robert Chance, grabbed a sledgehammer from a toolbox, smashed the back window and pulled the driver out of the car, who only suffered minor cuts from broken glass, before the two bought the driver a shirt at a nearby gas station before giving him a ride home.
“I think we’re now lifelong friends,” Young said.
Heavy rain, localized flooding and severe weather will continue to be possible in Oklahoma and Texas on Wednesday, with thunderstorms expected across eastern Montana, Wyoming and northeastern Colorado late Wednesday and Thursday, then into Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and northern Texas.
A power outage in the Dallas area on Tuesday prompted officials to extend voting hours for the state’s runoff elections by two hours after 80 mph (129 kph) winds knocked out power to dozens of polling stations, causing extensive damage.
Social media posts showed strong winds blowing an unmanned American Airlines plane away from a gate at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. No one was injured, but the airport said about 500 flights had been canceled due to the bad weather.
The National Weather Service said a “very active and highly impactful” weather pattern will continue across the central United States over the next few days.
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Destructive storms over Memorial Day weekend left 24 people dead across seven Southern states, from Texas to Virginia.
For more information on recent tornado reports, see the Associated Press Tornado Tracker.
