Tornado In Texas Leaves At Least 2 Dead And Destroys Homes

RUNAWAY BAY, Texas — A tornado-producing thunderstorm near astatine slightest 2 group dormant successful bluish Texas and displaced astatine slightest 20 families, pinch galore homes sustaining awesome damage, authorities said Sunday.

Emergency responders worked done Saturday nighttime and into Sunday successful nan municipality of Runaway Bay to clear debris successful bid to scope damaged homes and supply aesculapian attraction wherever needed, Wise County Judge J.D. Clark, who serves arsenic nan county’s main executive, said astatine a news conference.

“Access has been difficult owed to blocked roadways and downed utilities, but crews person continued pushing guardant to scope those successful need,” Clark said. “Roads successful nan affected area will stay closed by rule enforcement to guarantee information and let emergency crews to negociate nan segment without obstruction.”

The large wind besides deed Springtown, wherever Parker County Assistant Fire Chief David Pruitt said successful an email that a 2nd personification died southbound of nan metropolis limits. There was “significant damage” successful nan area, Pruitt said.

“One of nan astir important ongoing challenges is nan wide powerfulness outage affecting galore residents,” he wrote. “Officials are coordinating pinch inferior providers and emergency partners arsenic restoration efforts continue.”

National Weather Service teams confirmed that an EF-2 tornado pinch highest winds of 135 mph had touched down successful nan Runaway Bay area. They were still assessing harm successful Springtown connected Sunday afternoon.

The slow-moving supercell traveled done nan area astir 10 p.m. Saturday, said meteorologist Patricia Sanchez pinch nan Fort Worth upwind work office.

It moved southeast from astir Wichita Falls, adjacent nan Oklahoma border, passing conscionable westbound of Fort Worth. Runaway Bay is astir 45 miles northwest of Fort Worth connected Lake Bridgeport. Springtown is astir 30 miles northwest of Fort Worth.

Weather work radar picked up a “potentially ample and highly dangerous” tornado adjacent Azle, astir 10 miles southeast of Springtown, astatine 10:14 p.m. Saturday, officials said.