Power could be out for weeks in parts of Houston after storms

Power outages could last weeks in parts of Houston, an official warned Friday, after thunderstorms with hurricane-force winds tore through the city, knocking out electricity to nearly 1 million homes and businesses in the region, blowing out windows on downtown high rises and flipping vehicles.

The National Weather Service said it confirmed a tornado with peak winds of 110 mph touched down near the northwest Houston suburb of Cyprus in Harris County. The weather service also reported straight-line winds of up to 100 mph in downtown Houston

Thousands of utility workers were headed to the area, where power had already been restored to roughly 200,000 customers. Another 100,000 customers were without power in Louisiana, down from a peak of 215,000.

The widespread destruction brought much of Houston to a standstill. Trees, debris and shattered glass littered the streets. One building’s wall was ripped off.

School districts in the Houston area canceled classes for more than 400,000 students and government offices were closed. City officials urged people avoid downtown and stay off roads, many of which were flooded or lined with downed power lines and at least 2,500 malfunctioning traffic lights.

Police are out in force, including 50 state troopers sent to the area to prevent looting.




(AP Photo David J. Phillip)