The remnants of Hurricane Beryl continue toward the northeastern United States. The storm left destruction in its path—but weakened as it moved deeper inland. By early Wednesday, it became a post-tropical cyclone centered over northeastern Indiana. Meanwhile, millions in the Houston area swelter without power.
Hurricane Beryl hit the south coast of Jamaica last week, downing trees and severing power. Officials estimate the storm destroyed more than $6.4 million in food crops and infrastructure. Prime Minister Andrew Holness said nearly 500 people were in shelters.
“We can do as much as we can do, as humanly possible, and we leave the rest in the hands of God,” Holness said at the time.
Beryl caused at least 11 deaths in the Caribbean. The United States saw seven deaths as a result of the storm—one in Louisiana and six in Texas.
Beryl hit Texas on Monday as a Category 1 hurricane. By early Wednesday, the storm had downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone. But parts of seven states—Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine—are under a flood watch due to Beryl’s leftovers.
The storm spawned a tornado Tuesday evening in Posey County, Indiana. The roof and walls of a warehouse collapsed, but there were no injuries, officials say.
In Texas, searing heat returned to the Houston area. High temperatures on Tuesday climbed into the 90s with humidity that made it feel even hotter.
More than 1.7 million Texas homes and businesses still lacked electricity Wednesday morning. That was down from a peak of over 2.7 million on Monday. Officials face questions over whether the power utility that covers much of the area had prepared sufficiently.
The National Weather Service described Houston’s conditions as potentially dangerous, given the lack of power and air conditioning. Residents search for places to cool off and fuel up. Meanwhile, the extended outages strain one of the nation’s largest cities.
Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick says nursing homes and assisted living centers are at the top of the list for restored power.
Storms had already hit the Houston area this year. In May, severe thunderstorms killed eight people and left nearly one million without power.
Storm-battered residents cope as best they can. Kyuta Allen took her family to a Houston community center to cool down and use the internet.
“During the day you can have the doors open,” she says. “But at night you’ve got to board up and lock up.” She says that’s like locking oneself “into a sauna.”
