A peak wind of was estimated in Houston at 8 a.m. CST on August 17 (13:00 UTC). The hurricane set a record for the most rainfall recorded in a 24-hour period in Houston with of rain. Most buildings in the city sustained some form of damage, amounting to a $1 million damage toll. Plateglass windows and business signage in Downtown Houston were destroyed. Vegetation in the city's residential districts was damaged. The downed trees and live power lines lay strewn across the city streets. Streetlights were turned off during the storm to reduce the risk of electrocutions. One person was killed after stepping upon a downed power line. The Southwestern Telegraph and Telephone Company conservatively estimated the damage to its communication lines in Houston at $100,000, making it the most disruptive incident in the company's history. Roughly half of the 20,000 phone lines in the city were inoperative, with an average of 200 lines knocked out of commission per hour.