Tropical Storm Beryl hit southeast Texas on Monday, causing at least three fatalities, flooding highways, shutting down oil ports, canceling over 1,300 flights, and cutting power to more than 2.7 million homes and businesses. Initially a Category 5 hurricane, Beryl weakened as it moved inland after battering the coastal town of Matagorda with storm surges and heavy rain. The U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) warned of potential tornadoes in Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas.
In Texas, a 53-year-old man and a 74-year-old woman died from falling trees in the Houston area, while a city employee drowned in an underpass. The storm had already caused 11 deaths in Mexico and the Caribbean.
Read more: Beryl Intensifies, Deadly Storm Heads for Texas
Oil production slowed, and some sites were evacuated. Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick urged northeast Texas residents to stay off roads due to tropical storm winds and flooding. Efforts to restore power were ongoing, with more than 2,500 first responders deployed statewide. The storm, expected to weaken further, continued to bring heavy rain as it moved northeast, affecting Arkansas, the Lower Ohio Valley, and the Lower Great Lakes.
