Thunderstorms have claimed seven lives and left over half a million homes and businesses without power in southeastern Texas.
Officials report that residents may be without power for weeks following Thursday’s storm, which brought winds of up to 110 mph (177 km/h).
Most of the fatalities resulted from downed trees, power lines, and lightning strikes.
The storm has now moved into neighboring Louisiana, where flood warnings are in place along the Gulf Coast.
Officials updated the death toll to seven on Friday night, announcing three additional deaths.
An 85-year-old woman died in a fire ignited by lightning, a 57-year-old man was killed while attempting to move a damaged electrical pole, and another man who needed oxygen was found unresponsive after losing electricity.
Earlier reports included two deaths from falling trees and another fatality when a crane toppled.
Christin Martinez, 31, a mother of four, was killed when a tree fell on her car.
“She told her husband she wanted to move the car because of an old, large tree she was worried about,” said Houston Police Department Lt. R. Willkens. “Unfortunately, it fell while she was inside.”
Martinez leaves behind three boys, ages 8, 10, and 12, and a baby she was still breastfeeding.
In a Friday news conference, Texas Judge Lina Hidalgo, the top government executive in Harris County, confirmed that at least two tornadoes had struck the region on Thursday night.
In Houston, traffic lights were out, office windows were shattered, and glass littered the streets on Friday.
The Houston Independent School District canceled classes for the day.
Flash flood and severe thunderstorm warnings were issued for multiple counties, according to Houston’s National Weather Service office.