Before making landfall in the southern US state of Texas on Monday, Beryl intensified into a hurricane, forcing some locals to flee due to flooding and power disruptions.
As Beryl reached the Texas shore, winds were hitting 80 miles per hour (130 kilometers per hour), according to the most recent update from the US National Hurricane Center (NHC).
“Conditions (are) deteriorating with dangerous storm surge, flash flooding, and strong winds expected,” the NHC warned early Monday.
The National Weather Service issued a tornado alert for parts of Texas including Houston, which is home to 2.3 million people.
“We have to take Beryl very, very seriously. Our worst enemy is complacency,” said Houston Mayor John Whitmire.
The Houston mayor expressed his desire for the city’s citizens “to know that the conditions that you go to sleep under tonight will not be the same that you wake up to in the morning.”
On Sunday, there were hurricane and storm warnings in effect for a number of Texas coastal areas. Early on Monday, Beryl is predicted to land between Corpus Christi, Texas, and Galveston Island.
Up to 15 inches (38 cm) of rain are predicted in some sections of Texas, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) stated, cautioning that flash flooding may occur in certain places.
Tourists were advised to leave Corpus Christi by the authorities in Nueces County, while Refugio County, which is still recovering from Hurricane Harvey in 2017, issued an order for mandatory evacuation on Saturday.
A voluntary evacuation order was issued by the city of Galveston, which is southeast of Houston. Videos posted on social media showed lines of cars leaving the city.
