UPDATE: Houston announces cooling and distribution centers with 500,000 people without power as storm recovery continues

While speaking at the press conference, Whitmire said the Texas Department of Transportation is bringing in additional resources to help with recovery efforts.

TxDOT confirmed that of the 1,100 signals in its system throughout the Houston district, 125 are in need of repair and restoration, according to a May 18 news release.

Whitmire also asked people to be patient.

“We understand the discomfort,” Whitmire said. “But if you’re not patient, it becomes a safety issue. You have to be very careful when driving through an area where the traffic lights aren’t working.”

More details

Rodney Reed, deputy chief of the Harris County Fire Marshal’s Office, said that between 6 p.m. and midnight on May 16, fire departments on the west side of Harris County experienced a 300 percent increase in calls on duty.

“On a normal Thursday night, there are about 64 calls for service and they received 256 that night,” Reed said.

Reed also said that in the western part of unincorporated Harris County, there are more than 411 enrollees in the STEAR, or State of Texas Emergency Assistance Registry, who have various medical frailties and needs in energy.

“(We) immediately started contacting them,” Reed said. “We completed that and we even went to those locations if they couldn’t get them on the phone so they could … make sure they were safe.”

What they say

• “Our crews are working diligently to restore our traffic signals and are working to get back to normal.

  operations in the Houston District, including Harris, Montgomery, Fort Bend and Waller

  counties. To accelerate restoration, TxDOT is leveraging our strengths to get our system operational and

  in operation.” —Eliza Paul, District Engineer, TxDOT Houston District

• “I will be here to work on this issue in Texas’ Seventh Congressional District and to work with my colleagues in our Houston Congressional delegation. We are all united in working together to do everything we can to meet the needs of our community right now” —U.S. Rep. Lizzie Fletcher, D-Houston.

Published at 10:08 a.m. on May 18

Editor’s note: This story has been updated with information from the Harris County Clerk’s Office.

As Houston recovers from severe weather and widespread power outages on May 16, resource centers are opening across the county.

What do you want to know

Harris County Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones announced that four cooling, charging and distribution centers will be open May 18-19. They understand:

• The Bayland Community Center, serving as a cooling, charging and distribution center, open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Food and water distribution will begin at 2:30 p.m. while supplies last.
• Tracy Gee Community Center, serving as a cooling and recharging center, open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Radack Community Center, serving as a drive-up distribution center offering water and ice from 10 a.m. until supplies last; and food and water from 2:30 p.m. while supplies last. On May 19, the center will only distribute food and water.
• Weekley Community Center, serving as a drive-up distribution center offering food and water from 2:30 p.m. until supplies last. On May 19, the center will also distribute water and ice starting at 10 a.m. while supplies last.

The City of Houston also announced the opening of several resource distribution centers in a May 18 press release. The centers will have ice and water and will serve as a drive-thru distribution center. They understand:

• Fifth Ward Multi-Service Center, open 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 4014 Market St., Houston
• Salvation Army, open 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 12507 Windfern Road, Houston
• Salvation Army, open 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 4026 N. Interwood, Houston
• Northshore Fellowship Church, open 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at 444 Maxey St., Houston
• Iglesia Fe y Poder, open 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at 6714 Navigation Blvd., Houston

Additionally, the city is opening several cooling centers, including:

• Metropolitan Multi-Service Center, open 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. at 1745 W. Gray St., Houston
• Acres Homes Multi-Service Center, open 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. at 6719 W. Montgomery Road, Houston
• Sunnyside Health and Multi-Service Center, open 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. at 4410 Reed Road, Houston
• Kingwood Community Center, open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at 4102 Rustic Woods, Kingwood
• Woodland Community Center, open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at 212 Parkview St., Houston

The American Red Cross also operates two shelters in the Houston area, according to a May 17 news release. They understand:

• Greenhouse International Church at 200 W. Greens Road, Houston
• Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church, 11612 Memorial Drive, Houston

Also note

Officials from some Houston-area school districts provided updates on damage assessment and ongoing repair efforts.

As of 7 p.m. May 17, Houston ISD officials said power remained out at 122 district campuses, with no estimate of when it would be restored. Power had been restored to several campuses since the district’s previous update on May 17 at noon, when power was out to 136 campuses.

Four of the district’s most damaged buildings — Paige, Sinclair, Pugh and Robinson elementary schools — “are expected to be able to accommodate students once power is restored,” according to an email communication sent to families.

Food distribution sites are operational at the Sam Houston Math Science and Technology Center and Austin High School starting at 9 a.m. on May 18, for families who were impacted by the storm and are in need of food.

Schools were closed in a number of other local districts on May 17, including Cy-Fair, Spring, Klein, Magnolia and Tomball ISDs. Schools are expected to reopen in each of these five districts on May 20, according to the latest available updates.

What else?

The Harris County Clerk also confirmed that the May 16 storms affected the county’s election facilities.

The Election Technology Center suffered roof damage and lost power, while another building where election worker training takes place was deemed uninhabitable, Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth said in a May 17 statement. on Facebook. The availability of voting centers is also uncertain, she added.

“I have been in constant communication with the Texas Secretary of State, members of the Commissioners Court, the County Attorney and the chairmen of both major political parties,” Hudspeth said in the release. “We will continue to review the condition of facilities, early voting and election day infrastructure and, most importantly, our ability to hold the May 28 primary runoff election.”

Early voting for the May 28 primary runoff is expected to begin May 20, according to previous reports.

How we got here

The city experienced extreme weather, with winds ranging from 80 to 100 mph, officials said at a May 17 news conference. Residents were urged to stay away from downtown Houston as blown out window glass, fallen trees and other debris littered the streets.

In a post on social platform X, the National Weather Service confirmed that an EF-1 tornado touched down near Cypress with winds peaking at 110 mph. The NWS also confirmed that straight-line winds in downtown Houston and the Baytown/Galena Park area peaked at around 100 mph and between 90 and 100 mph, respectively.