Hurricane Beryl led to widespread power outages, initially affecting over 2.5 million people. Entergy Texas in a 6 p.m., July 15, Monday update reported that power has been restored to over 96% of its 252,000-plus customers who lost power during Hurricane Beryl. July 15 begins the second week that Centerpoint Energy customers are still without power.
Hurricane Beryl made landfall near Matagorda, Texas, around 4 a.m. on Monday, July 8, 2024. As of this writing on June 15th, Governor Gregg Abbott issued a press release stating, “I had the opportunity today to visit with more than a hundred emergency responders from the state’s Emergency Medical Task Force who came to this region to assist and support their fellow Texans.”
Governor Abbott was visiting a resource staging area at NRG Park in Houston when he issued that press release and also reported:
“Texas was able to work a week in advance with the City of Houston and other local officials to be ready for Hurricane Beryl…Texas will continue our efforts to work with local officials to provide resources and assistance—including water, ice, and ready-to-eat meals—to Texans in need until CenterPoint gets the power back on.”
What Category Was Hurricane Beryl in 2024?
Beryl rolled into the Texas Coast as a Category 1 hurricane. Category 1 hurricanes produce winds raging from 74 mph to 95 mph, with wind gusts reaching up to 107 mph in some areas. The Houston Chronicle reported that the Beryl-related death toll has claimed 13 lives so far.
Where in Texas Did Hurricane Beryl Hit?
The National Hurricane Center in Miami. reports that Hurricane Beryl made landfall three times since it became a named storm.
When Beryl made its first landfall Monday, July 2, as a Category 4 storm, it hit Grenadian islands of Carriacou and Petit Martinique the hardest. The two islands sustained severe damage and its winds peaked at 165 mph, which made Beryl a Category 5. Beryl also hammered five Grenadines islands: Union Island, Bequia, Canouan, Palm Island, and Meru.
The storm made its second landfall in Mexico north of Tulum on the Yucatán Peninsula at 6:05 a.m., local Mexico time, on July 5, raging with 110 mph winds. There Beryl downgraded to a tropical storm, re-intensified over the Gulf the Mexico over the weekend.
Beryl hit Matagorda County hard during its third landfall, at local Texas time 4 a.m., July 5, near Matagorda, Texas. Matagorda is a coastal community between Corpus Christi and Galveston. Beryl tracked up the Gulf Coast, where it pummeled Galveston shortly after leaving Matagorda. She then moved up the coast to Houston.
What Category Was Hurricane Beryl When it Hit Houston?
Beryl brought a life-threatening storm surge, damaging winds, and flooding rainfall over a long stretch of the Gulf Coast of Texas. She is the earliest Category 5 hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic basin and only the second to occur in July.
Beryl had morphed from a Category 5 hurricane in the Caribbean Grenadines to a Category 1 by the time she charged into the Houston metroplex. She originally knocked out power for almost three million Texans.
Was Hurricane Beryl Really a Category 1?
Beryl covered the entire continuum of hurricane categories. She roared from Category 5 to a Category 1, decreased to a tropical storm, and re-intensified throughout her long trek across the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. Beryl lived an exceptionally long life and traveled over 6,000 miles.
The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale (SSHWS) rates hurricane categories based on other factors, like storm surges, to determine a hurricane’s total destructive power. Civil engineer Herbert Saffir and meteorologist Robert Simpson developed the current hurricane severity scale so emergency officials can determine wind hazards of an approaching hurricane.
Hurricane Categories
The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale (SSHWS) categorizes hurricanes into five categories based on their sustained wind speeds:
- Category 1: Winds of 74–95 mph can cause minimal damage to buildings, such as shingles coming off roofs, gutters and vinyl siding being damaged, and tree branches and young trees being uprooted.
- Category 2: Winds of 96–110 mph can cause more extensive damage, such as damage to a home’s roof and siding, trees and power lines being damaged, roads being blocked, and power outages lasting for days or weeks.
- Category 3: Winds of 111–129 mph can cause major damage to well-built homes and other buildings, roofs being heavily damaged, and numerous trees being damaged or uprooted.
- Category 4: Winds of 130–156 mph can cause catastrophic damage.
- Category 5: Winds of over 157 mph are the worst case scenario.
How Much Is FEMA Paying for Beryl?
The Beryl Disaster Declaration & Federal Aid declaration covers 121 Texas counties, including the hardest-hit areas like Harris, Galveston, and Brazoria counties. Beryl caused 2.7 million power outages and surpassed the record of 2.1 million set during Hurricane Ike in 2008.
Once the federal disaster declaration for an area is finalized, residents in affected counties can apply for FEMA assistance for home repairs, temporary housing, and other disaster-related expenses not covered by insurance.
It is important to register with FEMA even if you have insurance. FEMA may help with under-insured losses. More information about the federal resources available for Texans as a result of Hurricane Beryl can be found at https://www.disasterassistance.gov/.
On Tuesday, July 9, President Joe Biden approved a federal emergency disaster declaration for Texas, as requested by acting Governor, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, for 121 Texas counties. President Biden stated that the federal aid process delayed because state officials were slow to make the official request. Governor Abbott and Lt. Governor Patrick denied this claim.
Acting Governor Patrick is leading Texas’ response efforts while Governor Abbott is meeting with business and political leaders in Taiwan, South Korea and Japan to invest in Texas. Patrick is conducting press briefings in Houston, Galveston, and Bay City with representatives of state agencies, Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) and the Department of Public Safety (DPS).
The Houston Chronicle also reported that a Houston resident coincidentally discovered that the Whataburger app was a more accurate indicator of which areas still had power than official sources.
Author: Kendall Davis
Author: Kendall Davis Company: Lumini Services Kendall currently lives on the shores of Lake Texoma in Texas. She traveled across two-thirds of the U.S. for many years camping at lakes, rivers, and three oceans before motels and hotels if at all possible, and she continuously saw God's presence in nature. Writing for Lakehub allows Kendall to share her experience with God's creations. https://kdavis1836.wixsite.com/luminiwrites
