HOUSTON, United States, 17th May, 2024 (WAM) -- A severe storm packing hurricane-force winds pummeled Houston on Thursday, killing at least four people, blowing windows out of high-rise buildings and leaving some 800,000 homes without power as much of the city was plunged into darkness, Reuters reported.
Much of downtown Houston and its commercial district were littered with fallen power lines and glass from shattered windows following the storm, with traffic and street lights knocked out across the city, the mayor John Whitmire said.
Whitmire said the thunderstorm raked the Gulf Coast city in southeast Texas, the state's most populous urban centre, with winds howling at 80-100 miles per hour (129-161 kph).
He added that public schools would be closed on Friday and that local authorities were asking all non-essential workers to likewise take the day off.