A tornado ripped through the southeast Houston community Tuesday afternoon, destroying a senior assisted living facility in Deer Park and causing other widespread damage that authorities are still assessing, officials said.
Tornado warnings were issued for Texas and across the South on Tuesday as strong winds hit.
More than 15 million Gulf Coast residents, including Houston, New Orleans and Mobile, Alabama, faced the threat of a powerful storm that passed through Texas and moved toward Louisiana.
Emergency crews in Deer Park and nearby Pasadena were clearing debris from roads and responding to calls for help.
The storm swept through Deer Park just before 3 p.m. and destroyed the senior assisted living facility San Jacinto Estates, city officials said. No one was injured, but the city, about 19 miles south of Houston, has yet to find homes for the 59 residents who need to be relocated.
Mayor Jerry Mouton said emergency crews were assessing damage in Deer Park, which included downed power lines and minor damage to homes.
No injuries were reported, although the police department warned that “dozens of calls” were coming in and assistance could take longer than expected.
the streets were also flooded A Waller ISD school bus runs agroundabout 40 miles northwest of Houston, resulting in the high school student being diverted to another vehicle.
On Tuesday, forecasters with the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center warned people in the area of potentially damaging winds and powerful tornadoes.
The National Weather Service in New Orleans said a tornado warning was in effect for southeastern Louisiana until 1 a.m. local time.Severe weather, high winds and flash flooding will threaten parts of the state overnight until 4am
More than 1,000 schools and nearly 150 hospitals in Louisiana were within the potential tornado exposure zone, the service said.
Governor Greg Abbott of Texas said he directed The Texas Department of Emergency Management prepared the state’s response resources, adding that authorities at all levels were prepared. At least three dozen flights were canceled at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport and hundreds were delayed, according to flight-tracking company FlightAware.
The National Weather Service issued a tornado emergency Travel to the eastern suburbs of Houston around 2:30 pm local time. According to the Weather Service, a tornado emergency is an “extremely rare tornado warning issued when there is a serious threat to human life and catastrophic damage from an imminent or ongoing tornado.”
In Louisiana, the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness twitter news About storm safety. “We face another severe weather threat this week,” the agency said, urging residents to remain vigilant. Mississippi State Emergency Management Agency A similar message was sent about storm preparations.
The risk of severe weather will shift to the eastern Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic coast Wednesday through Thursday. Tornadoes are possible for East Coast cities from Norfolk, Virginia, to Jacksonville, Florida, later this week.
Large hail is also a risk if these storms roll in.
Last month, New Orleans was hit by a deadly tornado as a series of storms swept across the south. Last March, two tornadoes lashed the area around the city, killing at least one person and leaving a trail of destruction in their wake.
Derek Bryson Taylor, Jesus Jimenez and April Rubin Contribution report.