Wednesday, May 20, 2015

NO MERCY: MOTHER NATURE AND ITS EL NINO CONTINUE TO ASSAULT TEXAS, OK AND OTHER SOUTHERN STATES: TORNADOES BRING DAMAGE, FLOODING TO NORTH TEXAS

















MAY 20, 2015

Runaway Bay is still running away.  Many people in North Texas are cleaning up after serious storm damage.

There were several tornadoes, high winds, hail and flooding late Tuesday night, mostly in Palo Pinto, Ellis, Denton and Wise counties.

The National Weather Service confirmed an EF1 tornado that inflicted heavy damage to houses and apartment buildings in Runaway Bay, which is about 50 miles northwest of Fort Worth.

The roof of a condo complex was torn off and about 12 families were displaced. But, Wise County Judge J.D. Clark said they did not need any immediate help from the Red Cross because of all the community support.

One woman described taking shelter in the hallway of her home. She said for a few minutes she was very scared about what was going to happen next.

'It was so loud. I had no clue what was going on over here because we were in the hall and we were just praying and I was just trying to be really loud, louder than what it was. I didn't want to scare my kids. It was pretty bad," Angela Reid said.

Flooding and downed trees were also a problem in Bridgeport and Runaway Bay.
Wesley Campbell and his wife, Mickey, felt their home near Bridgeport start to move off its foundation just before a tree came crashing down onto it.

"We started out the back door, fixing to get out and felt the house move and slammed into it. And I could hear the whole house moving and we were too late. So I threw here down between the washer and dryer and I crawled on top of her and we rode it out. It seemed like forever, but it finally quit and the windows blew out," he said.

Game wardens had to use a Humvee to rescue about a dozen residents after their mobile home community in Bridgeport flooded.

“We've waded in waist-deep water tonight rescuing elderly residents trapped by high water,” police said.

Another confirmed EF1 tornado struck the old North Texas resort town of Mineral Wells earlier Tuesday evening, causing widespread damage.

Wind toppled the Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church bell tower. It had been there since the 1940s.

The First Baptist Church was also damaged. Some of the stained glass from the 1920s was blown out.

Members showed up right after to help clean up.

“The church is people. It's not a building and so this is the church that's here tonight. They've been praying for us all over our city, country praying for us as well,” said Senior Pastor Nathan Buchanan.

Emergency officials appealed for the public to avoid downtown Mineral Wells to facilitate cleanup work.

FOX 4 viewers caught on video what also appeared to be a brief tornado touch down in Ellis County Tuesday afternoon.

Angie Ranton said her roof and fence were damaged in the Saddlebrook Estates neighborhood near Waxahachie.

"Our trampoline used to be in that corner over there and our playground was in this corner and now part of it is in the trees," she said.

The storms knocked out power to thousands of people. There were about 2,000 customers still without power Wednesday morning, mostly in Wise and Grayson counties.

Only one school district was affected by the overnight storms. Alvord ISD decided to delay classes until 10 a.m. with buses running on a two-hour delay.

The only reported injury from Tuesday night's storms was in Wise County. A woman in a heavily damaged mobile home park slipped slipped and broke her wrist.