“Please stay off the roads. A downed tree even fell on one of our high-water rescue vehicles coming back from a rescue.”
In Fort Bend County, officials asked residents to “please stay home until the storm passes.” The county’s statement noted that trees and debris littered the roads, several roads were flooded, and most traffic signals were out. Deputies were responding to stranded and flooded motorists.
Hurricane Hal Reports on Category 1 Hurricane
Hal Needham, an extreme weather scientist known to Galveston locals as “Hurricane Hal,” was up just after 4 a.m. on Monday to monitor the storm and provide live updates. “We’ve had some pretty big squalls today with widespread power outages,” he reported. “I think the storm was a lot stronger than many people expected.”
Needham expressed concern about the ongoing power outages, which could leave residents vulnerable to the heat wave expected later this week.
“This is the hottest time of the year,” he warned. “If people still don’t have power, there could be serious issues with heat exhaustion and heat-related illnesses, especially for elderly people with health conditions.”
