The death toll from the storm in Texas rises to seven
The death toll from the severe weather that hit Houston, Texas, has risen to seven, authorities said Friday.
Three additional deaths were confirmed after Houston, the fourth largest city in the United States, experienced heavy rain and winds of up to 100 miles per hour on Thursday.
The storm left downtown streets littered with broken windows.
Residential areas were littered with downed trees and power lines, and the National Weather Service confirmed that a tornado had touched down in the suburb of Cypress.
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez reported that the new victims included an 85-year-old woman who died after her mobile home was struck by lightning and caught fire.
A 60-year-old man was found unconscious and later pronounced dead after trying to feed his oxygen tank from his truck when power was cut in the storm-hit area.
See Also: Deadly storms hitting Houston, leaving nearly a million people without power in Texas
A 57-year-old man collapsed and died while trying to move a fallen utility pole.
Houston Mayor John Whitmire said Thursday that four people died as a result of the storm, although specific details were not immediately available.
Schools in Houston, which has a population of 2.3 million and an economy that revolves around oil and petrochemicals, were closed Friday and nonessential workers were asked to stay home.
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