More than 150,000 homes and businesses were in Texas, Arkansas and Missouri after dark Wednesday and there was a tornado watch in much of Florida as a line of severe weather devastated much of the South.
In Texas, at least one tornado ripped off rooftops east of Houston late Tuesday, knocking down power poles and power lines and flipping cars, trucks and even a train. There were no immediate reports of serious injuries.
The weather threat was focused on the Atlantic coast on Wednesday: the I-95 corridor from northern Florida to southern Virginia was most at risk. The main threat is wind gusts that can reach hurricane-force winds of 75 mph, AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said.
A tornado watch has been issued for parts of Florida until noon on Wednesday the National Weather Service in Tallahassee reported a confirmed tornado near Belair and Four Points, Florida, moving northeast.
“A line of strong, severe thunderstorms will move eastward … into and over this watch area,” National Weather Service Meteorologist Roger Edwards warned.
Tornado that hit Houston caused ‘at least EF2 damage’
Tuesday’s tornado that hit southeast Houston caused at least EF2 damage, the National Weather Service station in Houston reports reported Wednesday. EF2 damage from a tornado is characterized as roofs ripped off frame homes, mobile homes leveled and large trees snapped or uprooted, according to the National Weather Service.
More than 16,000 people were without power in the state as of 11 a.m. Wednesday, according to tracking site PowerOutage.us.
‘Extremely dangerous’ tornado hits Texas
The weather service at one point on Tuesday warned that a “large, extremely dangerous and potentially deadly tornado” was on the ground toward Baytown, about 25 miles east of Houston. Street flooding was a chronic problem across the region.
The National Weather Service said it would send a team to survey the damage and confirm tornado strengths in parts of Southeast Texas. The American Red Cross said it was opening a shelter for residents of Pasadena, a city of 150,000 about 15 miles east of Houston.
Dog shelter in Texas destroyed by tornado
In Pasadena, the animal shelter lost power, water, and phones, so the shelter and adoption center closed.
“Please help! The Pasadena Animal Shelter was hit by a tornado today! We urgently need foster parents, etc,” the agency tweeted. “Please, please, please share and if you can hold a dog or 5 (garage, spare room, whatever) please help us!”
The shelter later posted one social media update saying other shelters and rescue organizations have taken most of the animals. “We assure you that the animals we have left will be taken care of as we work to get them to shelters and other organizations.”
Train blows over in Deer Park
In the Houston suburb of Deer Park, a tornado and damaging winds were blamed for blowing a train over. Dozens of buildings in the city sustained significant damage and dozens of roads were closed due to fallen trees or power lines.
The school district posted a message on Facebook saying that many homes and businesses were damaged and that all buildings and some neighborhoods were without power. After “careful consideration”, classes for Wednesday have been cancelled.
“We hope this gives families a chance to recover from the stress of today’s events, and we believe it is best for children to be with their parents or guardians following a natural disaster,” the post read. It added that the cancellation will allow staff to determine the extent of damage to its own buildings.
City officials are urging residents to stay off the roads as workers try to repair broken power lines. Mayor Jerry Mouton Jr. van Deer Park said he was surprised there were no injuries.
“We will handle and restore and rebuild the property,” he said.
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Contributions: The The Bharat Express News
