- EF-1 tornadoes ripped through Cypress, Waller County areas with winds at more than 100 mph, NWS reports
- Houston-area storm damage updates: Clean up continues after NWS says two EF-1 tornadoes and powerful derecho ripped through SE Texas
- Low risk of damaging winds, hail from Saturday storms
- EF 1 tornadoes ripped through Cypress, Waller County areas at more than 100 mph, NWS reports
- Caddo Mounds State Historic Site to celebrate new visitor center, traditional grass house after 2019 tornado
Disaster declaration issued for Harris County following tornado
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott declared a state of emergency in Harris County including much of the southeast Houston area Thursday afternoon, two days after severe storms and a destructive tornado rocked the region.
“The disaster declaration… will further support the State of Texas’ recovery efforts in response to extensive damage sustained due to tornadic activity in Pasadena, Deer Park, and neighboring Southeast Texas communities,” according to a Thursday afternoon release announcing the declaration.
“The state of Texas is ready to assist Texans and businesses impacted by tornados in Southeast Texas communities,” Gov. Abbott said in the release.
According to the release, Abbott deployed personnel from the Texas Division of Emergency Management on Wednesday to assess the extent of the damage in affected areas. Local responders will work alongside TDEM officials for the rest of the week to continue assessments, according to the release.
TDEM has also asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency to “provide personnel to participate in joint preliminary damage assessments to certify the damage,” officials said in the release. “This effort will help determine whether Texas meets federal requirements for disaster assistance,” they continued.
Abbott urged Texan’s to complete TDEM’s self-reporting damage survey to “help emergency officials gain an understanding of damages that occurred during the recent severe weather and expedite federal disaster assistance,” officials wrote in Thursday’s release.
A line of severe storms ripped through the Houston area on Tuesday, causing flash floods and a devastating tornado in the southeast Houston area. The system left a path of serious structural damage to homes and businesses behind it and knocked out power for tens of thousands, prompting closures of major roadways.
The National Weather Service issued its first ever Tornado Emergency in response to Tuesday’s destructive twister, a more urgent version of a tornado warning that is “issued when there is a severe threat to human life and catastrophic damage from an imminent or ongoing tornado.”