The death toll from Tropical Storm Beryl rose to eight in the United States, where the meteor made landfall on Monday as a Category 1 hurricane in Texas, causing significant damage to homes and infrastructure.
Texas authorities claim that the powerful Beryl, although already downgraded from a Category 5 hurricane to a tropical depression, caused floods, storm surges, and a series of tornadoes, which is why the death toll could increase as the search for missing persons progresses.
They confirmed that at least eight people have lost their lives due to the storm in Texas, where the meteorological phenomenon made landfall, as well as in neighboring states.
Among the victims, two died due to fallen trees; while in Houston, a civilian employee of the Police Department died after being trapped in a flood on a street.
In Louisiana, a person died due to a tree falling during a possible tornado near the city of Benton.
The death toll could rise as search and rescue efforts continue, authorities stressed.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) warned on Tuesday that Beryl will still bring heavy rains and possible flash floods from the lower and middle Mississippi Valley to the Great Lakes from today until Wednesday.
The USCG Air Station in Corpus Christi conducted a flyover along the Texas coast to assess the damages caused by Beryl and stated that it was ready to assist those in need. It also ensured that it is working to restore the critical flow of commerce in the affected waterways and ports.
A report from the EFE agency indicates that this Tuesday more than 2.3 million people were still without electricity, including the populous city of Houston, amidst the intense heat with temperatures reaching up to 40 degrees Celsius.
The energy company CenterPoint Energy, serving Harris and Fort Bend counties, said it expects to restore power to at least one million customers in Texas by the end of this Wednesday.
Until Monday, the supply had been restored to less than 300,000 customers.
This crisis is happening in the midst of a heatwave in the affected region. In Texas, a heat index of approximately 40 degrees Celsius (105 degrees Fahrenheit) is expected, complicating the situation for those affected by the power outage who are without air conditioning.
In the western part of the country, around 40 million people will face temperatures above 38 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit) over the next seven days, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).
Beryl also wreaked havoc as it passed through the Caribbean: at least 10 people died in Jamaica alone.
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