A severe storm recently hit downtown Houston, causing significant damage and leading to the closure of several blocks for cleanup and repairs. Officials report that more than 2,500 windows and skylights in high-rise buildings were blown out. Mayor John Whitmire has designated the area as an “exclusion zone.”
The affected area includes Louisiana Street to Travis Street and McKinney Street to Polk Street. Crews are currently clearing broken glass and debris. Notable buildings impacted include Wells Fargo Plaza and the Kinder Morgan building. A survey of 17 building owners indicated that replacing the damaged windows could take several months.
Additionally, the storm caused a partial building collapse at the Conejo Malo bar on Travis Street, as shown in dramatic surveillance footage. The city has marked the building for further assessment and cleanup.
The storm also resulted in widespread power outages, further complicating recovery efforts. AccuWeather estimates the storm caused between $5 billion and $7 billion in damage. Houston fire officials responded to 18 heat-related incidents on Sunday due to the outages.
One of the hardest-hit areas was an assisted living center on the north side. Mayor Whitmire reported that residents at Independence Hall on Burress Street were left without power, food, and functioning medical equipment, including ruined insulin supplies and non-operational electronic beds. At least two residents were hospitalized due to health complications exacerbated by the power outage.
As of Monday morning, power had been restored to the affected assisted living center. Cleanup and recovery efforts are ongoing in downtown Houston.