2 dead in Texas after Tropical Storm Beryl makes landfall

Texas — Two people are dead in Harris County, Texas after Tropical Storm Beryl made landfall along the coast, bringing with it heavy rain and intense winds. 

Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez confirmed the deaths on X. 

An oak tree reportedly slammed onto a home in the 20900 block of Heather Grove Court of the Kings River Village subdivision, trapping a 53-year-old man under the debris, Gonzalez wrote on X at about 8 a.m. CDT.

The victim was reportedly inside his house with family, riding out the storm, when the tree fell on the roof, and collapsed a part of the house on him. His wife and children were unharmed, according to Gonzalez. 

A couple hours later, a 74-year-old grandmother was killed after a tree fell on her home in the 17400 block of Rustic Canyon Trail in Atascocita. She was pronounced dead at the scene, according to law enforcement officials. 

Hundreds of trees toppled onto streets and cars in the county, crushing vehicles and damaging homes, shared Precinct 4 County Constable Mark Herman.

The storm also knocked out power to more than 2 million homes and businesses. Beryl had already cut a destructive path through parts of Mexico and the Caribbean before making a turn, sweeping ashore as a Category 1 hurricane in Texas early Monday, then later weakening to a tropical storm.

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who is acting governor while Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is out of the country, said crews cannot get out to restore it until the wind dies down.

"They need to wait until the winds die down, they can't get up in those buckets to start restoring power... it's judt too dangerous," said Patrick. "We want people to stay home, off the roads."

The National Hurricane Center said damaging winds and flash flooding will continue as Beryl continues pushing inland.