MATAGORDA, Texas (NewsNation) — Beryl has been downgraded to a tropical depression as it makes its way across the U.S. after making landfall in Matagorda, Texas as a Category 1 hurricane on Monday with about 80 mph winds.
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who is acting governor while Gov. Greg Abbott is out of the country, said at least three people were killed as Beryl moved through Texas.
Texas officials say restoring electricity will take days after Beryl knocked out power to nearly 3 million homes and businesses. As of 6 a.m. Tuesday, 2.3 million are still without power.
Patrick said CenterPoint Energy was bringing in thousands of additional workers to help get the lights turned back on quickly. He said the storm toppled 10 transmission lines and that many of the outages were caused by fallen trees.
The hurricane was projected to move up along eastern Texas through Monday, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said preliminary reports confirmed one fatality from the storm after a tree fell on a home, shattering the structure and trapping a 53-year-old man under the debris. Gonzalez said the man was riding out the hurricane with his wife and children who were unharmed.
HOUSTON, TEXAS – JULY 08: A tree is toppled over by heavy winds during Hurricane Beryl on July 08, 2024 in Houston, Texas. Tropical Storm Beryl developed into a Category 1 hurricane as it hit the Texas coast late last night. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images) 
SPRING, TEXAS – JULY 8: A vehicle maneuvers around a fallen tree on Champion Forest Dr. during Hurricane Beryl Monday, July 8, 2024, in Spring. (Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images) 
HOUSTON, TEXAS – JULY 08: Vehicles sit in floodwater during Hurricane Beryl on July 08, 2024 in Houston, Texas. Tropical Storm Beryl developed into a Category 1 hurricane as it hit the Texas coast late last night. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images) 
HOUSTON, TEXAS – JULY 08: A tree is toppled over by heavy winds during Hurricane Beryl on July 08, 2024 in Houston, Texas. Tropical Storm Beryl developed into a Category 1 hurricane as it hit the Texas coast late last night. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images) 
HOUSTON, TEXAS – JULY 08: A person attempts to keep warm under shelter during Hurricane Beryl on July 08, 2024 in Houston, Texas. Tropical Storm Beryl developed into a Category 1 hurricane as it hit the Texas coast late last night. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images) 
SPRING, TEXAS – JULY 8: The Colony Creek Dr. street sign dangles at the intersection of Louetta Rd. during Hurricane Beryl Monday, July 8, 2024, in Spring. (Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images) 
GALVESTON, TEXAS – JULY 8: Andrew Parada, an employee at Residence Inn mops up the floor as water keeps leaking in during Hurricane Beryl on Monday, July 8, 2024 in Galveston. (Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images) 
SPRING, TEXAS – JULY 8: A vehicle maneuvers through high water and debris on Cypresswood Dr. during Hurricane Beryl Monday, July 8, 2024, in Spring. (Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images) 
SPRING, TEXAS – JULY 8: A vehicle maneuvers through high water and debris on Cypresswood Dr. during Hurricane Beryl Monday, July 8, 2024, in Spring. (Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images) 
BAY CITY, TEXAS – JULY 8: Heavy wind from Hurricane Beryl blows against a tree Monday, July 8, 2024, in Bay City. (Jon Shapley/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images) 
BAY CITY, TEXAS – JULY 8: Brent Meads films himself as he stands in the heavy wind and rain from Hurricane Beryl on Monday, July 8, 2024, in Bay City. Meads said he came from Las Vegas to experience a hurricane for the first time. (Jon Shapley/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images) 
BAY CITY, TEXAS – JULY 8: Heavy rain from Hurricane Beryl is illuminated by parking lot lights Monday, July 8, 2024, in Bay City. (Jon Shapley/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images) 
BAY CITY, TEXAS – JULY 8: A group of people hide behind a car to shield themselves from wind and rain from Hurricane Beryl as they film videos for social media Monday, July 8, 2024, in Bay City. (Jon Shapley/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images) 
BAY CITY, TEXAS – JULY 8: A group of people hide behind a car to shield themselves from wind and rain from Hurricane Beryl as they film videos for social media Monday, July 8, 2024, in Bay City. (Jon Shapley/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)
Before the storm made landfall, Texas officials had issued preemptive disaster declarations for 121 counties along with evacuation orders for some areas. Officials also warned of dangerous storm surges and flash flooding along Texas’ southern coast.
The storm’s center hit land as a Category 1 hurricane around 4 a.m. about 85 miles southwest of Houston with top sustained winds of 80 mph while moving north at 12 mph, the National Weather Service reported.
President Joe Biden called Houston Mayor John Whitmire expressing his condolences for the loss of life. He told the mayor his administration will make sure Texans have the resources they need to get through the storm now and to recover going forward.
On the ground in Matagorda
Power outages have mounted along the coast after Beryl’s arrival, lashing Houston with heavy rains and powerful winds.
Just over 2.7 million homes and businesses were without power Monday, according to PowerOutage.us. High waters quickly began to close streets across Houston, and flood warnings were in effect across a wide stretch of the Texas coast.
More than 1,000 flights have been canceled at Houston’s two airports, according to tracking data from FlightAware.
NewsNation correspondent Stephanie Haines was in the eye of the storm Monday morning, reporting an “eerie calm” as the eye moved over Matagorda. The storm had flooded streets and downed tree branches.
“There is still a bit of wind, still a bit of rain; but let me tell you, overnight, it felt otherworldly. I can say we were in our hotel, the whole building, the four-story building was shaking,” Haines reported.
She continued, “It feels like a bit of a ghost town.”
Storm chaser Kyle Cutten joined NewsNation’s “Morning in America” on Monday as he drove through Beryl’s eye, saying it felt as though winds were whipping up to 100 mph.
Cutten said the strong winds were shredding roofs on small homes and power lines were knocked out in front of him. He even compared the storm to a Category 4 hurricane, saying if he didn’t know what category it was being measured at, he would have thought it to be a Cat 4 or higher.
Looking ahead
“I’m absolutely scared for what’s coming ahead for the United States of America. I have never seen anything like this on the letter ‘B,'” Cutten said. “I honestly thought that was a rapid intensification and we were hitting a (Category) 4/5. That’s how bad it was. So, I’ll be curious to see where the reports come in.”
The NWS expected Beryl to weaken to a tropical storm Monday and a tropical depression Tuesday, forecasting a turn to the northeast and an increase in speed Monday night and Tuesday. The storm was projected to move toward the Northeast through Tuesday and Wednesday, crossing through the Lower Mississippi Valley and into the Ohio Valley.
The storm reached the U.S. after leaving a trail of destruction over the last week in Mexico and the Caribbean.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
