Casey Kuhn (00:04):
A round of severe thunderstorms caused major damage in southeastern Texas this week, leading to four deaths. 100 mile an hour winds tore through the area. The wind blew out windows in high-rise buildings in Houston. Trees toppled, houses demolished and power lines left mangled. Streets flooded in neighborhoods, and power was knocked out to more than 850,000 homes and businesses. Houston Mayor John Whitmire said glass and other debris made many of the city's streets dangerous.
Mayor John Whitmire (00:38): Our first responders are spread thin. Stay away from downtown. Stay off the road unless you're an essential worker. The city employees are at home today, except for our essential workers. I would ask the business community to do the same.
Casey Kuhn (00:58): Whitmire said it could take weeks to restore power even as temperatures in the area are expected to rise into the nineties in coming days. For the PBS NewsHour, I'm Casey Kuhn.