Page 5 - Texas

Power outages could linger for days after storms batter Texas again, 1 dead

Power outages scattered across storm-weary Texas on Wednesday could linger into the weekend after storms flooded streets in Houston for the second time this month and ripped off roofs in Dallas, leaving a teenager dead and injuring others. The teen was killed Tuesday at a construction site while working on a home that collapsed, and three people at a campground were shocked by a downed power line. The severe weather left more than 1 million homes and businesses without electricity at one point. Electric utility Oncor said power in the Dallas area should be restored by Friday for most customers, but some outages will continue into the weekend. More than 1 million homes and businesses were without electricity across Texas at one point, but by Wednesday night, the lights had come back on for more than 75% of those customers. Houston was flooded and damaged just weeks after a storm walloped the area, killing eight people. The 16-year-old worker was killed northeast of the city, in the .

Power outages could linger for days after storms batter Texas again

Power outages scattered across storm-weary Texas on Wednesday could linger into the weekend after storms flooded streets in Houston for the second time this month and ripped off roofs in Dallas, leaving a teenager dead and injuring others. The teen was killed on Tuesday at a construction site while working on a home that collapsed, and three people at a campground were shocked by a downed power line. The severe weather left more than 1 million homes and businesses without electricity at one point. Electric utility Oncor said power in the Dallas area should be restored by Friday for most customers, but some outages will continue into the weekend. More than 1 million homes and businesses were without electricity across Texas at one point, but by Wednesday afternoon, the lights had come back on for about 70 per cent of those customers. Houston was flooded and damaged just weeks after a storm walloped the area, killing eight people. The 16-year-old worker was killed northeast of the c

Storms leave outages across Texas, cleanup continues after deadly weekend

Strong storms with damaging winds and baseball-sized hail pummeled Texas on Tuesday, leaving one person dead and about 1 million businesses and homes without power as much of the US recovered from severe weather, including tornadoes, that killed at least 24 people during the Memorial Day holiday weekend. Widespread outages were reported across a wide swath of storm-weary Texas, where an oppressive, early-season heat wave added to the misery. Voters in the state's runoff elections found dozens of polling places without power. Dallas County said it would keep polls open two hours later because of the outages on Tuesday. Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins declared a disaster and noted that some nursing homes were using generators. This ultimately will be a multiday power outage situation, Jenkins said on Tuesday. Around Houston, cars crawled through flooded highways and more than 300,000 customers were without power in the area, which includes parts still recovering from hurricane-force

22 dead in Memorial Day weekend storms that devastate several US states

A series of powerful storms swept over the central and southern US over the Memorial Day holiday weekend, killing at least 22 people and leaving a wide trail of destroyed homes, businesses and power outages. The destructive storms caused deaths in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Kentucky and were just north of an oppressive, early season heat wave setting records from south Texas to Florida. Forecasters said the severe weather could shift to the East Coast later Monday and warned millions of people outdoors for the holiday to watch the skies. A tornado watch was issued from North Carolina to Maryland. Kentucky Gov Andy Beshear, who earlier declared a state of emergency, said at a Monday press conference that five people had died in his state. The fifth death was a 54-year-old man who had a heart attack while cutting fallen trees in Caldwell County in western Kentucky, the governor's office said. The death toll of 22 also included seven deaths in Cooke County, Texas, from a Saturday .

Tornadoes rip through Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas; at least 19 people dead

At least 19 people, including two children, have been killed in powerful storms that ravaged the states of Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas in the central US, destroying homes and plunging thousands into darkness amid rising temperatures. Seven fatalities were reported in Cooke County in Texas, near the Oklahoma border, where a tornado on Saturday night ripped through a rural area near a mobile home park, officials said. "It's just a trail of debris left. The devastation is pretty severe," Cooke County Sheriff Ray Sappington said. The dead included two children, aged two and five, and three members of a family, the sheriff said. Sappington said the death toll was likely to rise as search and rescue operations were underway for some people who remained missing on Sunday morning. Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Sunday said that about 100 people were injured by the Saturday tornado, noting that the exact toll was "hard to tell with certainty", CBS News reported. More than 200 houses as we

Tornadoes rip through Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas; at least 18 dead

At least 15 people, including two kids, have died as powerful storms ravaged the states of Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas in the central US, destroying homes and plunging thousands into darkness amid rising temperatures over the Memorial Day weekend. Seven fatalities were reported in Cooke County, Texas, near the Oklahoma border, where a tornado Saturday night ripped through a rural area near a mobile home park, officials said. Storms also caused damage in Oklahoma, where guests at an outdoor wedding were injured. "It's just a trail of debris left. The devastation is pretty severe," Cooke County Sheriff Ray Sappington said. The dead included two children, aged 2 and 5, and three members of a family, the sheriff said. A tornado tore apart houses and businesses, flipped mobile homes and knocked down trees and power lines. Areas near the community of Valley View were especially hard-hit. Sappington said 60 to 80 people were injured at a truck stop called the AP Travel Center on Inters

Boat strike causes oil spill, partial collapse of bridge in Texas

A barge slammed into a bridge pillar in Galveston, Texas, on Wednesday, spilling oil into surrounding waters and closing the only road to a smaller and separate island that is home to a university, officials said. There were no immediate reports of injuries, although officials said one person on the barge was knocked into the water and quickly rescued. The bridge that leads to Pelican Island, north of Galveston, was struck by the barge around 9:50 a.m. when a tugboat backing out of Texas International Terminals, a fuel storage operator next to the bridge, lost control of two barges it was pushing, said David Flores, a bridge superintendent with the Galveston County Navigation District. The current was very bad, and the tide was high. He lost it, Flores said. One of the barges hit the bridge and two telephone poles, he said. The accident came weeks after a cargo ship crashed into a support column of the Francis Key Bridge in Baltimore on March 26, killing six construction workers.

Tesla board vows not to move Musk's $56 bn pay package court fight to Texas

Musk called for Tesla to move its corporate home to Texas after Delaware Chancery Judge Kathaleen St. J. McCormick in January rescinded his pay package over director conflicts of interest

Heavy rains ease around Houston, flooding remains after hundreds rescued

Floodwaters closed some Texas schools on Monday after days of heavy rains pummelled the Houston area and led to hundreds of rescues including people who were stranded on rooftops. A 5-year-old boy died after riding in a car that was swept away in fast waters, authorities said. Although forecasters expected storms to begin tapering off in southeastern Texas, high waters continued to close some roads and left residents facing lengthy cleanups in neighbourhoods where rising river levels led to weekend evacuation orders. Houston is one of the most flood-prone metro areas in the country. Hurricane Harvey in 2017 dumped historic rainfall that flooded thousands of homes and resulted in more than 60,000 rescues. In one soggy area of Houston, school officials in Channelview cancelled classes and said a survey of their employees found many of them had experienced circumstances that would prevent them from coming to work. These folks have suffered much, people," Trinity County Sheriff Woody

Hundreds of people rescued from flooding as water rises in Houston, Texas

High waters flooded neighbourhoods around Houston on Saturday following heavy rains that have already resulted in crews rescuing more than 400 people from homes, rooftops and roads engulfed in murky water. Others prepared to evacuate their property. Floodwaters inundated a wide region Saturday, from Houston to rural East Texas, where game wardens rode airboats through waist-high waters rescuing both people and pets who did not evacuate in time. One crew brought a family and three dogs aboard as rising waters surrounded their cars and home. A flood watch remained in effect through Sunday afternoon as forecasters predicted additional rainfall Saturday night to the soaked region and the likelihood of major flooding. Aron Brown, 45, and his wife Jamie Brown, 41, were two of the many residents who drove or walked to watch the rising waters near a flooded intersection close to the San Jacinto River in the northeast Houston neighborhood of Kingwood. The floodwaters had risen several feet a

Tesla pushes back on investor's latest move in Elon Musk's pay package row

If Tesla reincorporates in Texas and its board approves Musk's pay there, that would presumably have to be challenged in a new lawsuit under Texas law

US awards Samsung $6.4 bn in grants to boost Texas chip production

Analysts have estimated Samsung is likely to begin making 4-nanometer chips at its pilot production line and eventually expand to 2-nanometer chips

Activists protest Biden's nod to huge oil export terminal off Texas coast

In a move that environmentalists called a betrayal, the Biden administration has approved construction of a deepwater oil export terminal off the Texas coast that would be the largest of its kind in the United States. The Sea Port Oil Terminal being developed off Freeport, Texas, will be able to load two supertankers at once, with an export capacity of 2 million barrels of crude oil per day. The USD 1.8 billion project by Houston-based Enterprise Products Partners received a deepwater port license from the Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration this week, the final step in a five-year federal review. Environmentalists denounced the license approval, saying it contradicted President Joe Biden's climate agenda and would lead to disastrous planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions, equivalent to nearly 90 coal-fired power plants. The action could jeopardise Biden's support from environmental allies and young voters already disenchanted by the Democratic administration's .

Impulse to speak out leads to 'self-inflicted wounds', says Elon Musk

Musk was sued in Texas state court in October by Ben Brody after endorsing a social media post that compared an Instagram profile of Brody to a photo of a White supremacist

US logs second human case of bird flu over contact with sick cow. 10 points

Avian influenza or bird flu usually occurs among wild aquatic birds worldwide and can infect domestic poultry. Cases of human infection caused by exposure to infected animals are rare and sporadic

Several people hurt in Texas crash as severe storms hit central US

Multiple people were hurt Monday in a pileup involving as many as 30 vehicles at an intersection south of Midland, Texas, as high winds blew dust that was making visibility difficult, the Texas Department of Public Safety said. Texas Highway Patrol Troopers and Upton County Emergency personnel responded to the crash along State Highway 349 around 4:50 p.m. The National Weather Service had issued warnings about blowing dust and damaging winds for Monday afternoon in the area. Motorists were urged to use caution when traveling in West Texas. Northeast of Midland in Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Illinois, severe storms with possible tornadoes, hail and flooding rain were moving through on Monday evening. Tornado warnings were issued in multiple locations in Texas, Oklahoma and Missouri. It wasn't immediately known if any damage had occurred or if anyone was hurt. The National Weather Service was busy issuing severe thunderstorm warnings throughout those states and Indiana. Northwest

Texas' migrant arrest law back on hold after briefly taking effect

A divided Supreme Court on Tuesday lifted a stay on a Texas law that gives police broad powers to arrest migrants suspected of crossing the US-Mexico border illegally while a legal battle over immigration authority plays out. The Biden administration is suing to strike down the measure, arguing it's a clear violation of federal authority that would hurt international relations and create chaos in administering immigration law. The law allows any police officer in Texas to arrest migrants for illegal entry. A judge could then order them to leave the US Texas has argued it has a right to take action over what Texas authorities have called a crisis at the southern border. The battle over the Texas immigration law is one of multiple legal disputes between Texas officials and the Biden administration over how far the state can go to patrol the Texas-Mexico border and prevent illegal border crossings. Gov. Greg Abbott has described the situation at the border as an invasion of migrants.

Indian American indicted in a Ponzi scheme, victims asked to come forward

An Indian-American has been indicted by a grand jury in a Ponzi scheme with the FBI urging victims of the investment adviser in Texas to come forward. Siddharth Jawahar, 36, has been ordered imprisonment until sentencing by the court. The FBI on Wednesday said it is seeking potential Miami-area victims of Jawahar who has been accused of running a multimillion-dollar Ponzi scheme. According to the indictment, from July 2016 through roughly December 2023, Jawahar took in more than USD 35 million from Swiftarc investors but spent about USD 10 million on investments in companies. Jawahar used the money from new investors to repay older investors and to fuel an extravagant lifestyle that included flights on private planes, stays at luxury hotels and expensive outings at lavish restaurants, the indictment says. In 2015, Jawahar began investing the majority of client funds in a single investment, Philip Morris Pakistan (PMP), the indictment says, and eventually, 99 per cent of client fund

Supreme Court blocks Texas law that allows police to arrest migrants

Texas' plan to arrest migrants who enter the US illegally is headed to the Supreme Court in a legal showdown over the federal government's authority over immigration. The high court on Monday blocked Texas' immigration law from going into effect until March 13 and asked the state to respond by March 11. The law was set to take effect Saturday, and the court's decision came just hours after the Justice Department asked it to intervene. Republican Governor Greg Abbott signed the law in December and for months has unveiled a series of escalating measures on the border that have tested the boundaries of how far a state can go keep migrants from entering the country. The law would allow state officers to arrest people suspected of entering the country illegally. People who are arrested could then agree to a Texas judge's order to leave the country or face a misdemeanor charge for entering the US illegally. Migrants who don't leave after being ordered to do so could be arrested again and

Organisations work to help dozens of families displaced by Texas wildfires

A gush of red-coloured water spilled from an air tanker on Sunday as it flew over the eastern side of the Smokehouse Creek fire, one of several wildfires that have burned over 1.2 million acres in the northern Texas Panhandle. As firefighters battle against strong winds in their efforts to contain the unprecedented wildfires in the Texas Pandhandle, humanitarian organizations are pivoting their attention to victims who have lost their homes and livelihoods in the blazes. Residents began clearing affected property on Saturday, and by Sunday the extent of the loss began mounting. Julie Winters, the executive director for Hutchinson County United Way, said the organization has heard estimates of over 150 homes being impacted in the county, noting that the fires extend to at least five other counties. "We already know that a large group of people are uninsured who lost their homes. So without monetary assistance, it's going to be very hard for them to start back over," Winters said. A