Texas coastal residents told to prepare as Beryl heads for Gulf of Mexico

Texas officials are urging coastal residents to prepare as Beryl moves toward the Gulf of Mexico after leaving a trail of destruction that has killed at least 11 people.

Some Texas counties have already issued voluntary evacuation orders in low-lying areas.

Along the Texas coast in Corpus Christi, city officials announced it had distributed 10,000 sand bags in less than two hours on Friday, exhausting its supply.

“This is a determined storm, that is still strong,” Texas Lt Gov Dan Patrick said.

Beryl roared ashore on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula as a hurricane near the resort town of Tulum early on Friday, whipping trees and knocking out power.

It hit Mexico as a Category 2 hurricane but weakened to a tropical storm as it moved across the peninsula.

The US National Hurricane Centre expects Beryl to regain hurricane strength once it re-emerges into the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, where it is forecast to head toward northern Mexico near the Texas border.