Estimated 650 homes destroyed, no reported fatalities
Texas tornado warnings were in full effect Tuesday as twisters touched down in the Dallas area.
The Texas tornado kicked off twister season. The season stretches from March to June, and April is typically the worst month, said National Weather Service meteorologist Matt Bishop. He added that Tuesday’s outbreak suggests that “we’re on pace to be above normal.” Meteorologists said the storms were the result of a slow-moving storm system centered over northern New Mexico.
The National Weather Service says possibly as many as a dozen twisters moved across the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The Southern Dallas suburb of Lancaster seems to have gotten the worst of the damage from the Texas tornado. Footage from helicopters showed homes without roofs and flattened buildings.
Ten people in Lancaster were injured, two of them severely, said Lancaster police officer Paul Beck. Three people were injured in Arlington, including two Green Oaks residents taken to a hospital with minor injuries, Arlington Assistant Fire Chief Jim Self said.
The Red Cross put a preliminary estimate of damaged homes at 650. In Lancaster, around 150 people remained in a shelter Tuesday night. About 14,000 homes and businesses, mostly in the Arlington area, remained without power.
Despite the devastating effects the Texas tornado has inflicted, no fatalities have been reported as of yet.
Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and Dallas Love Field canceled hundreds of flights and diverted others heading its way.
There are a few ways that you can help the people in Northern Texas who were affected by these tornados. The simplest way is to give money to the Red Cross of North Texas. You can text REDCROSS to 90999 to donate $10 to American Red Cross Disaster Relief or visit www.redcross.org to donate more money online. The money helps pay for rent or hotel rooms, new clothes, food and more for the families affected by the Texas tornado.
If you have the time and means to volunteer personally, the Volunteer Center of North Texas is organizing groups to help in areas with the most need.
