1.6 Million Still Without Power in Texas After Hurricane Beryl

Homes are surrounded in floodwater after Hurricane Beryl swept through the area in Surfside Beach, Texas, on July 8, 2024.Brandon Bell/Getty Images

More than 1.6 million people in southeast Texas are still without power two days after being hit by Hurricane Beryl and are suffering under the intense Texas heat.

The National Weather Service (NWS) issued heat advisories for several southeast Texas counties as temperatures hovered in the 90s and the heat index reached 106 degrees Fahrenheit.

While efforts to restore power are underway, downed trees and persistent flooding continue to hinder progress.

On July 9, President Joe Biden approved Acting Texas Gov. Dan Patrick’s disaster declaration for Texas, which will provide federal funding and resources through FEMA.

President Biden also addressed the intense heat.

“The greatest concern right now is the power outages and extreme heat that is impacting Texans,” the president said in a statement.

On July 10, at least one death from heatstroke was confirmed by Matagorda County Judge Bobby Seiferman. He said it was the only storm-related death reported so far in his county.

Fatality reports continue to come in, and Mr. Patrick told the media that the count is “somewhere in the range of nine, 10, or 11 ... that we’re aware of.”

He said exact numbers will continue to vary, with some deaths categorized later as being because of the storm.

Most of the deaths in Texas occurred in the Houston and Harris County area. One death was previously reported in Louisiana.

Cooling and distribution centers continue to be set up across the affected cities.

At least 14 cooling centers opened across Houston, with churches and charitable organizations also stepping up to provide food, water, and ice to those in need.

However, not everyone has been charitable during the outages.

On July 10, the Houston Police Department announced the arrests of four felony suspects, who were accused of trying “to take advantage of power outages” by breaking into businesses the previous day. Two businesses were targeted. The suspects were arrested immediately.

On the evening of July 8, Houston Police Officer Fernando Garcia was shot while on duty. A suspect, Ricardo Lezama, was arrested the next day and charged with “two counts of aggravated assault on a public servant.”

Mr. Garcia was shot in the leg and transported to the Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center. The latest report said he is in a stable condition.

However, Mr. Patrick told reporters that the hospital was unable to give the police officer a room for the night.

Hospitals across the region remain overcrowded and officials said they are unable to discharge patients to their homes without power.

A field medical hospital is being set up that Mr. Patrick said will eventually hold 250 beds.

“It’s in the patient’s best interest not to send them to a place that doesn’t have power [as] they can’t keep their medications refrigerated,” Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd said.

Mr. Kidd said Emergency Management was providing the additional facility “to ease the burden on ... hospitals right now.”