While the storm was only a Category 1 when it made landfall in Matagorda County, Texas, it delivered devastating—and fatal—flooding and tornadoes to southeast Texas and several other states as it turned northeast toward Canada.
At least seven have died in Texas, one in Louisiana, and another in Vermont.
Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and New York, were also affected.
KCC’s estimate takes into account “privately insured damage to residential, commercial, and industrial properties and automobiles, as well as business interruption.” It does not include boats, offshore properties, or National Flood Insurance Program losses.
Nearly 1.3 million utility customers are still without power in Texas as of July 11. At least nine Beryl-related deaths have now been confirmed.
KCC’s model highlights reports of downed trees falling on homes and cars, as well as roof and other structural damage, particularly from areas of Texas including Surfside Beach, Jamaica Beach, Galveston, College Station, Houston, and Pasadena, Texas. It also states that many vehicles were already reported flooded due to the storm surge.
But the damage is just getting surveyed, and Beryl’s flooding and tornadoes have affected more than just coastal Texas.
At least nine of those tornadoes were reported in Texas, with the largest registering as an EF-1 on the Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale, which measures a tornado’s strength based on the three-second wind gusts produced in the funnel. The scale goes from EF-0 (wind gusts of 65–85 mph) to EF-5 (three-second gusts of over 200 mph).
Touching down near Appleby, Texas, its peak winds were estimated to be 110 mph and cut a path more than seven miles long and more than 1,200 yards wide.
Louisiana, meanwhile, suffered at least 12 tornadoes, the largest being an EF-2 that started in Pleasant Hill, Louisiana, and ended in Mansfield, Louisiana. During its 45-minute lifespan, this tornado produced winds estimated at 127 mph, traveled more than 25 miles, and cut a path more than 1,600 yards wide.
One tornado-related fatality has been reported. An EF-1 tornado in Bossier Parish, Louisiana, with winds peaking at 100 mph, caused a tree to fall on a mobile home, killing a 30-year-old woman and injuring her two children in the early afternoon of July 8.
Significant damage to property and trees from those tornadoes was reported. RVs and boats were picked up, and countless trees were knocked down, roofs were damaged, and churches were nearly destroyed.
Acting Texas Gov. Dan Patrick confirmed on July 9 that he had spoken with President Joe Biden and had requested a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) emergency declaration.
FEMA will cover all costs for “Category A,” which covers debris cleanup costs, and “Category B,” which covers emergency protective measures.
This relief, Mr. Patrick said, would cover most of the necessary costs and help expedite the region’s recovery.
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry announced he was seeking the same Federal Emergency Disaster Declaration on July 10 for assistance with recovery efforts in the areas hit hardest by these tornadoes.
“Several parishes face major costs for cleanup and work associated with the storm. This disaster declaration would help offset much of those costs.”
One tornado was confirmed in Martin County, Indiana. An EF-0 with winds up to 85 mph was spotted on July 9 with very little damage reported.
Six small, short-lived tornadoes were reported in northwest New York starting July 10 through July 11. The largest was an EF-1 with winds up to 110 mph. It went 1.5 miles in five minutes before disappearing. Very little property damage was reported.
Hurricane Beryl also brought storm surges, heavy rainfall, and flooding.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration indicates active and minor flooding still ongoing in the Houston, Galveston Bay area, and significant flooding is reported in parts of the Mississippi River between Missouri and Illinois, Michigan, and portions of Indiana along the Wabash River.
In Vermont, flooding and torrential rain resulted in at least one death and immense property damage. More than 100 people have been rescued by swiftwater teams.
The remnants of Hurricane Beryl make their way back into the Atlantic 14 days after first appearing in the South Atlantic. It quickly grew into a Category 5 hurricane and sped across the southern Caribbean, hitting the Windward Islands, Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, and Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. It also affected the southern coastlines of the Dominican Republic and Haiti.
KCC projects that privately insured loss due to Hurricane Beryl will be close to $510 million in the Caribbean and $90 million in Mexico.
