Four people were killed, windows were blasted out of hundreds of buildings, trees were toppled and nearly one million homes and businesses were without power after thunderstorms raged throughout the Houston area.
Two people were killed by falling trees in the Texas storms Thursday, another died when high winds toppled a crane, officials reported.
Wind speeds reached 100 mph with some "twisters," Houston Mayor John Whitmire reported at a Thursday evening briefing. Whitmire said the furious winds and destruction was reminiscent of Hurricane Ike in 2008.
The storms also moved into Louisiana, cutting power to more than 215,000, including 100,000 in the New Orleans area, NOLA.com reported.
Some streets and neighborhoods of the Houston area remained flooded, and shattered glass littered the downtown streets.
"Downtown is a mess," Whitemire said at the briefing.
"Stay at home tonight. Do not go to work tomorrow, unless you're an essential worker. Stay home, take care of your children," Whitmire said. "Our first responders will be working around the clock."
