Galveston County residents are reeling from the aftermath of a brutal storm that swept through southeast Texas, causing street flooding and power outages on Friday. According to KTRK, the deluge led to vehicles stalling on flooded streets and thousands without electricity as high water and lightning strikes to transformers wreaked havoc in the area.
Travel was heavily disrupted with Harborside Drive near 17th Street seeing two cars stranded due to high water, and Houston Transtar confirmed I-45 southbound at the Galveston Causeway Bridge was shut to promptly keep drivers at bay. Residents looking for respite had to hastily pull off the road, seeking higher ground, where they could only wait and hope for water levels to recede.
Power supply issues were significant, with CenterPoint Energy revealing that there were 8,846 customers in the Houston area without power, approximately 1,800 of them in Galveston County, reported by KTRK. Despite the easing of the storm, by late morning, more than 2,700 customers remained powerless.
Floodwaters also affected local businesses, including Koop’s BBQ & Kitchen. One employee told KPRC 2 during their coverage of the storm, “It happens a few times a year. It just comes with the territory being over here,” further commenting, “They tried to redo all our streets (but) they’re just not finished with it yet,” as obtained by KPRC 2. Despite the regularity of such flooding for some, the hope was still to open their doors by noon as the storm clears.
