HOUSTON — Houston Mayor John Whitmire said at least four people were killed Thursday as severe weather slammed Southeast Texas.
During a news conference just before 10 p.m. Thursday, Whitmire said two people were killed by downed trees and a third was killed when a crane toppled over. It's unclear how the fourth person died.
Powerlines and trees were knocked down across the city, causing major traffic issues and dangerous conditions in many neighborhoods. Whitmire encouraged residents to stay home and off the roads due to the conditions. Traffic lights were out across the city and downed trees blocked roads. The traffic signals were expected to be out for hours.
“If you lived through the core of these winds, you went through the equivalent of a Cat 1, if not a Cat. 2 hurricane," KHOU 11 Chief Meteorologist David Paul explained.
Anyone with an emergency was told to call 911. Whitmire said the city was in the process of opening shelters for those in need and he hadn't heard of any entrapments.
Whitmire said the city was in recovery mode and said non-essential workers should remain home Friday.
“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.”
He said the city experienced wind gusts of more than 100 mph, causing considerable damage in downtown. Broken glass was littered across the downtown streets.
“Downtown is a mess,” Whitmite said.
Acting Houston Police Chief Larry Satterwhite and Houston Fire Chief Samuel Peña echoed Whitmire.
Satterwhite said Houston police officers would be out patrolling throughout the night.
Peña said a majority of the calls the Houston Fire Department was receiving were for gas leaks and downed power lines. He said if you smell gas inside your home, you need to leave immediately and call 911 from outside.
The storms raced through the city firing off a series of tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings into the night.
The mayor said the east side water system's power was knocked out and it was running off generators.
CenterPoint reported nearly 1 million customers without power for part of the evening and into the night. Whitmire said it would take 24 to 48 hours for power to be restored in some areas.
RELATED: School closures: Due to severe weather damage in Houston, HISD campuses to be closed on Friday
Houston ISD, the state's largest district, canceled classes for Friday due to the widespread damage and power outages across the city.
Whitmire said another report would be provided Friday morning.