Joe Biden declares disaster emergency as Texas storms wreak havoc leaving at least four people dead

President Joe Biden marked a 'major disaster' in Texas following severe weather conditions including wind storms, thunderstorms, heavy rains, floods and tornadoes that rampaged through the Houston area .

"Today, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. declared that a major disaster exists in the State of Texas and ordered Federal aid to supplement State, tribal, and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by severe storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes, and flooding beginning on April 26, 2024, and continuing," read an official White House statement.

Through this declaration, President Biden is making Federal funding available to residents of Harris, Liberty, Montgomery, Polk, San Jacinto, Trinity, and Walker counties who were hit by these severe weather events.

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Houston's two main airports briefly halted flights due to these extreme weather conditions, which included winds of over 60 mph (96 kph) recorded at Bush Intercontinental Airport.

Reports indicate that nearly 855,000 consumers in Harris County, which encompasses Houston and houses more than 4.7 million people, were without power.

Federal assistance for affected individuals could take the form of grants for temporary housing and home repair, economic loans for uninsured property damages, and other aid programs meant to help individuals and business owners weather the aftereffects of this disaster.

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The declaration also opens up Federal funding on a cost-sharing basis for statewide hazard mitigation actions. The Lone Star State and other southern states, including Louisiana, have been enduring weeks of relentless rain. A deadly and dangerous weather storm is battering the region for the second time this week.

These storms have claimed four lives and left 850,000 people without power. The area is currently under a rare Level 4 out of 4 "high-risk" flood hazard. Houston's mayor, John Whitmore, has urged residents to stay home and seek shelter. NOAA's Weather Prediction Center (WPC) forecasters have described it as a "nightmare scenario."

"Stay at home tonight, do not go to work tomorrow unless you're an essential worker. Stay home, take care of your children," Mayor John Whitmire advised during an evening briefing. "Our first responders will be working around the clock."

The mayor confirmed that four people had died. Officials reported that at least two of the deaths were due to falling trees, while another occurred when a crane was toppled by strong winds.

Streets are flooded, and trees and power lines have been knocked down across the region. Whitmire reported wind speeds reaching 100 mph (160 kph), accompanied by "some twisters."

Many Houston residents are among the nearly 10 million people under a tornado watch. Severe storms could potentially bring golf-ball-sized hail and wind gusts up to 70 mph, in addition to tornadoes.

This comes as almost a million people across the region are experiencing power outages. Texas Governor Greg Abbott had requested that President Joe Biden issue a Presidential Disaster Declaration.

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Several rivers in the region are bursting their banks after receiving up to 25 inches of rain in the past 30 days. Some rivers have reached record levels not seen since Hurricane Harvey in 2017, and any additional rainfall could lead to severe flooding. "Flood Watches extend into Mississippi," said Meteorologist Britta Merwin.

An official warned that parts of Houston could face power outages lasting weeks. This comes after thunderstorms with hurricane-strength winds swept through the city, causing power cuts for nearly a million homes and businesses in the area, shattering windows in downtown skyscrapers, and overturning vehicles.

The National Weather Service confirmed that a tornado with peak winds of 110 mph (177 kph) touched down near the northwest Houston suburb of Cypress in Harris County. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, the county's top elected official, stated that teams were still assessing the extent of the damage and the number of casualties from Thursday's storms.

Houston Mayor John Whitmire reported that four, possibly five, people had died. "It was fierce. It was intense. It was quick, and most Houstonians didn't have time to place themselves out of harm's way," Whitmire said at a press conference. With multiple transmission towers down, Hidalgo urged patience.

Thousands of utility workers were en route to the area, where power had already been restored to approximately 200,000 customers. Another 100,000 customers in Louisiana were without power, down from a peak of 215,000. "We are going to have to talk about this disaster in weeks, not days," Hidalgo said.

She recounted hearing "horror stories of just terror and powerlessness" as the storm wreaked havoc. The weather service reported that straight-line winds reached a staggering 100 mph (161 kph) in downtown Houston and the surrounding areas of Baytown and Galena Park.

Noelle Delgado felt her heart drop when she arrived Thursday night at Houston Pets Alive, where she serves as executive director. Although the over 30 dogs and cats were safe, the facility was damaged: the awning was torn away, the sign was destroyed, and water was leaking inside.

With the power outage expected to last and temperatures predicted to hit the 90s by Saturday, she was desperate to secure foster homes for the animals. The extensive damage brought Houston to an eerie halt. Streets were cluttered with trees, debris, and broken glass. One building had its entire wall sheared off.

School districts across the Houston area called off classes for upwards of 400,000 students, and government offices shuttered. City officials pleaded with the public to avoid downtown and refrain from using roads, many of which were either flooded or strewn with fallen power lines and inoperative traffic signals.

Whitmire announced that at least 2,500 traffic lights were down and warned potential looters sternly: "police are out in force, including 50 state troopers sent to the area to prevent looting."

Whitmire's office shared a photo on the social platform X on Friday showing the mayor signing a disaster declaration. This action sets the stage for state and federal storm recovery assistance.