HOUSTON, April 27 (Xinhua) -- Storms dumped rains and hail on the Greater Houston area in the U.S. state of Texas on Saturday, flooding streets and causing power outage, local media reported.
Flood Control District officials reported as much as six inches (15 centimeters) of rainfall in some parts of Harris County, where the city of Houston is located, in three hours, according to newspaper the Houston Chronicle.
There were also reports of golf ball-sized hail in parts of the Houston metro area.
Drivers were stranded by floodwater in many areas of south and southwest Houston.
Local firefighters responded to at least 50 calls for water rescue Saturday, the Houston Chronicle quoted Houston Fire Department spokesman Jay Evans as reporting.
Several roads were closed due to flooding in parts of west and southwest Harris County and Fort Bent County.
Electricity provider CenterPoint Energy said that 44,927 customers were without power as of 7:00 a.m.
The storms were also blamed for a roof collapse that destroyed a store in the city of Sugar Land.
The roof collapse is a result of water collecting on the roof during Saturday's storm, according to media reports.
The owners said they were inside and heard the roof start to collapse, but no one was hurt. 
Children in quake-hit areas in Sichuan
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