At least three people were killed as Hurricane Beryl slammed into southeast Texas, US. The storm knocked out power for more than 2.7 million homes and businesses while bringing heavy rain and fierce winds.
A 53-year-old man and a 74-year-old woman were killed after trees fell on their homes in the Houston area on Monday, according to Reuters. Another person died after drowning in an underpass while going to work.
More than 1,300 flights were cancelled at Houston's largest airport, Bush Intercontinental Airport. Schools also remained closed due to the storm.
The BBC reported that the state governor’s office asked residents not to underestimate the storm, which reached the US after it swept through Mexico and the Caribbean killing at least 11 people.
According to the report, it is rare for such hurricanes to make landfall in Texas in July. Houston is a low-lying area, and thus prone to flooding. Wind speeds in the Houston area reached 120km/h amid Beryl, with torrential rains and flashflooding ensuing as well.
US National Hurricane Center Director Michael Brennan said those in Hurricane Beryl’s path should find a safe place through Monday "as hazardous conditions will persist even after the centre of Beryl moves through".
"There's a very considerable risk of flashflooding across the Texas Gulf Coast, eastern Texas, Arkansas-Texas region," Brennan was quoted as saying by BBC.
More than 2,500 first responders have been deployed statewide, the chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management said, reported Reuters.
In Texas, the biggest producer of oil and natural gas in the US, several production sites were evacuated and oil refining activity slowed down. Oil producers like Shell and Chevron evacuated personnel from the offshore production platform on the Gulf of Mexico ahead of the storm.
Later in the week, the hurricane will likely move east across central states such as Mississippi, and is expected to skip over central and west Texas, areas which are currently experiencing moderate to severe levels of drought.