Wizdom
10-05-06, 14:14
3 dead as tornadoes sweep through Texas
Wednesday, May 10, 2006; Posted: 9:08 a.m. EDT (13:08 GMT)
DALLAS, Texas (AP) -- Tornadoes swept through two North Texas towns after dark, tearing apart brick houses and leaving three dead and 10 injured, officials said Wednesday.
An elderly couple were found dead in a destroyed home in the small town of Westminster, and a teenager was found dead at a separate location, Collin County spokeswoman Lee Hornsby said.
Tornadoes hit late Tuesday near the towns of Anna and Westminster, about 40 miles north of Dallas, Hornsby said. Tornadoes were also reported in the Texas Panhandle town of Childress and in southeastern Oklahoma, but no injuries were reported. (Watch bird's eye view of tornado-smashed homes -- 4:25)
"I have seen brick houses completely torn apart, a couple of these next to each other, bricks laying on top of a vehicle, another vehicle apparently rolled several times," Hornsby told WFAA-TV in Dallas.
Officials were going door-to-door to check for other casualties, said Jamie Nicolay of the county's homeland security and health care services department.
Ten people were taken to North Texas hospitals, but their conditions weren't available. The identities of the dead and other details about them weren't immediately released.
The storm destroyed at least six houses, Nicolay said, although full assessment of damage to the area was limited by darkness. Power was out to about 300 homes.
"I'm sure that there are numerous other ones that have less severe damage," she said.
Westminster, a town of about 420 residents, is 43 miles northeast of Dallas. Anna, with about 6,500 residents, is 5 miles west of Westminster.
Storm sirens sounded twice in Anna, Hornsby said, but no sirens went off in much smaller Westminster.
Another tornado in the Texas Panhandle town of Childress knocked down a wall at the local high school, and broken power lines sparked treetop fires, officials said. Gas lines were broken and downed trees blocked roads, but there were no reports of injuries.
Meanwhile, three tornadoes touched down in southeastern Oklahoma, along with baseball sized hail and street flooding, but no severe damage or injuries were immediately reported, officials said.
The National Weather Service received reports of a tornado near Olney in Coal County and two others near Stringtown.
About 6,000 customers were without power in southeastern Oklahoma and Oklahoma City before workers began restoring electricity.
http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/2006/WEATHER/05/10/texas.storms.ap/story.roof.dmg.wfaa.jpg
Wednesday, May 10, 2006; Posted: 9:08 a.m. EDT (13:08 GMT)
DALLAS, Texas (AP) -- Tornadoes swept through two North Texas towns after dark, tearing apart brick houses and leaving three dead and 10 injured, officials said Wednesday.
An elderly couple were found dead in a destroyed home in the small town of Westminster, and a teenager was found dead at a separate location, Collin County spokeswoman Lee Hornsby said.
Tornadoes hit late Tuesday near the towns of Anna and Westminster, about 40 miles north of Dallas, Hornsby said. Tornadoes were also reported in the Texas Panhandle town of Childress and in southeastern Oklahoma, but no injuries were reported. (Watch bird's eye view of tornado-smashed homes -- 4:25)
"I have seen brick houses completely torn apart, a couple of these next to each other, bricks laying on top of a vehicle, another vehicle apparently rolled several times," Hornsby told WFAA-TV in Dallas.
Officials were going door-to-door to check for other casualties, said Jamie Nicolay of the county's homeland security and health care services department.
Ten people were taken to North Texas hospitals, but their conditions weren't available. The identities of the dead and other details about them weren't immediately released.
The storm destroyed at least six houses, Nicolay said, although full assessment of damage to the area was limited by darkness. Power was out to about 300 homes.
"I'm sure that there are numerous other ones that have less severe damage," she said.
Westminster, a town of about 420 residents, is 43 miles northeast of Dallas. Anna, with about 6,500 residents, is 5 miles west of Westminster.
Storm sirens sounded twice in Anna, Hornsby said, but no sirens went off in much smaller Westminster.
Another tornado in the Texas Panhandle town of Childress knocked down a wall at the local high school, and broken power lines sparked treetop fires, officials said. Gas lines were broken and downed trees blocked roads, but there were no reports of injuries.
Meanwhile, three tornadoes touched down in southeastern Oklahoma, along with baseball sized hail and street flooding, but no severe damage or injuries were immediately reported, officials said.
The National Weather Service received reports of a tornado near Olney in Coal County and two others near Stringtown.
About 6,000 customers were without power in southeastern Oklahoma and Oklahoma City before workers began restoring electricity.
http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/2006/WEATHER/05/10/texas.storms.ap/story.roof.dmg.wfaa.jpg