Bulldozers were rushed to one hard-hit neighborhood near Granbury to clear the way for rescue teams trying to reach people trapped in debris.
Several tornadoes ripped through an area of North Central Texas Wednesday night, leaving at least six people dead, scores injured and driving hundreds from homes flattened by the turbulent winds.
Hardest hit was the Rancho Brazos subdivision of 110 homes near Granbury, southwest of the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Hood County Sheriff Roger Deeds said a twister suddenly dropped out of the a boiling thunderstorm and leveled a wide swath of mobile homes and single-family homes.
"Most of the neighborhood is heavily damaged to destroyed," he said. "Very little is untouched."
Deeds said Thursday that 37 people were treated at local hospital and 15 people, including two in critical condition, were transported to hospitals in Fort Worth. The injuries range from lost limbs to minor bumps and bruises, according to local officials.
Emergency teams rushed 18 bulldozers into the subdivision to clear the way for rescue teams and to look for people trapped in the debris.
Much of the construction in Ranco Brazos in the past five years was done by Habitant for Humanity, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported.
The sheriff said more than 250 people were evacuated, many by bus. Fourteen people remained unaccounted for, Deeds said.
"The house across from mine looked like it was destroyed," said Rancho Brazos resident Allacia Jenny, 22. "I saw power lines all over the place."
Officers "are going house to house" looking for residents trapped, injured or dead in the rubble of demolished homes near Lake Granbury, said Hood County Sheriff's Lt. Kathy Jiveden.
According to preliminary reports, the National Weather Service in Fort Worth says that as many as 10 tornadoes touched down last night in northeastern Texas.
Weather Channel meteorologist Jonathan Erdman speculated that one of the tornadoes likely produced damage of at least an EF-4 on the Fujita Scale of Tornado Intensity. EF-4 tornadoes have wind speeds of from 166 to 200 mph.
The weather service will be conducting damage surveys today to determine the exact strength of the tornadoes.
AccuWeather reported that one tornado grew to as large as a mile wide at times.
This was the nation's deadliest tornado outbreak in more than a year, the Weather Channel reports.
The thunderstorms that tore through northeastern Texas were the result of a strong disturbance diving into northern Texas, AccuWeather meteorologist Anthony Sagliani reported. Warm and humid winds blowing from the Gulf of Mexico collided with hot and dry winds from West Texas, resulting it a twisting motion in the lower atmosphere.
Granbury, a town of about 8,000 that's 40 miles southwest of Fort Worth, received minor storm damage, Deeds said. City officials were sending first-responders to check neighborhoods and school buses to help evacuate the area.City officials were sending school buses to several neighborhoods to help with evacuations.The Red Cross set up shelters for tornado victims at two local churches.
A tornado also hit the small town of Millsap west of Forth Worth. Parker County Judge Mark Kelley said roof damage was reported to several houses and a barn was destroyed, but no injuries were reported. Another tornado was spotted at about 8 p.m. near Decatur in Wise County. Another was spotted 10 miles west of Weatherford.
Several tornadoes ripped through an area of North Central Texas Wednesday night, leaving at least six people dead, scores injured and driving hundreds from homes flattened by the turbulent winds.
Hardest hit was the Rancho Brazos subdivision of 110 homes near Granbury, southwest of the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Hood County Sheriff Roger Deeds said a twister suddenly dropped out of the a boiling thunderstorm and leveled a wide swath of mobile homes and single-family homes.
"Most of the neighborhood is heavily damaged to destroyed," he said. "Very little is untouched."
Deeds said Thursday that 37 people were treated at local hospital and 15 people, including two in critical condition, were transported to hospitals in Fort Worth. The injuries range from lost limbs to minor bumps and bruises, according to local officials.
Emergency teams rushed 18 bulldozers into the subdivision to clear the way for rescue teams and to look for people trapped in the debris.
Much of the construction in Ranco Brazos in the past five years was done by Habitant for Humanity, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported.
The sheriff said more than 250 people were evacuated, many by bus. Fourteen people remained unaccounted for, Deeds said.
"The house across from mine looked like it was destroyed," said Rancho Brazos resident Allacia Jenny, 22. "I saw power lines all over the place."
Officers "are going house to house" looking for residents trapped, injured or dead in the rubble of demolished homes near Lake Granbury, said Hood County Sheriff's Lt. Kathy Jiveden.
According to preliminary reports, the National Weather Service in Fort Worth says that as many as 10 tornadoes touched down last night in northeastern Texas.
Weather Channel meteorologist Jonathan Erdman speculated that one of the tornadoes likely produced damage of at least an EF-4 on the Fujita Scale of Tornado Intensity. EF-4 tornadoes have wind speeds of from 166 to 200 mph.
The weather service will be conducting damage surveys today to determine the exact strength of the tornadoes.
AccuWeather reported that one tornado grew to as large as a mile wide at times.
This was the nation's deadliest tornado outbreak in more than a year, the Weather Channel reports.
The thunderstorms that tore through northeastern Texas were the result of a strong disturbance diving into northern Texas, AccuWeather meteorologist Anthony Sagliani reported. Warm and humid winds blowing from the Gulf of Mexico collided with hot and dry winds from West Texas, resulting it a twisting motion in the lower atmosphere.
Granbury, a town of about 8,000 that's 40 miles southwest of Fort Worth, received minor storm damage, Deeds said. City officials were sending first-responders to check neighborhoods and school buses to help evacuate the area.City officials were sending school buses to several neighborhoods to help with evacuations.The Red Cross set up shelters for tornado victims at two local churches.
A tornado also hit the small town of Millsap west of Forth Worth. Parker County Judge Mark Kelley said roof damage was reported to several houses and a barn was destroyed, but no injuries were reported. Another tornado was spotted at about 8 p.m. near Decatur in Wise County. Another was spotted 10 miles west of Weatherford.
Source : UsaToday, SkyNews, AP
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