HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) — The human toll of Hurricane Beryl is becoming more apparent as the aftermath reveals widespread damage and flooding across southeast Texas. At least six people have died in the Houston area due to the storm, including five fatalities caused by fallen trees. Houston Mayor John Whitmire confirmed a sixth death involving a civilian police department employee who drowned on the roadways.
Earlier in the day, Harris County Precinct 4 Constable Mark Herman reported the first tree-falling fatality in the 20900 block of Heather Grove Court in the Atascocita area.
“A tree fell through the roof of a house, trapping an unresponsive adult male,” Herman tweeted. The man was later confirmed deceased. Additionally, a tree blocked the northbound lanes of Heather Grove Court, and power lines were down nearby at Kings River Drive and Water Point Trail.
The second fatality occurred in the 17400 block of Rustic Canyon Trail in the Ponderosa Forest neighborhood in north Harris County. Maria Loredo, 73, was killed when a tree fell through the home she shared with her son, his wife, and their two children. Loredo’s family believes she was killed instantly.
“I’m a God-fearing man,” her son Jose said. “I believe that maybe it was her time to go.”
By the evening, Montgomery County reported three additional deaths due to fallen trees. Jason Millsaps, the director of the county’s emergency management office, stated that a man riding a tractor on a public roadway died in the morning, while a couple was killed in a wooded area.
