Published: December 28,2015
The Dallas area was ravaged by at least nine tornadoes that killed 11 people Saturday night. Five people died in a flash flood in Illinois, and 10 deaths have been confirmed in Missouri. It's the latest tragedy in what has become a week-long outbreak of severe weather.
Forecasters say a tornado that struck Garland, Texas, may have had winds up to 200 mph. The National Weather Service confirmed that tornado was rated EF4, the second-most-powerful tornado on the damage scale used by meteorologists. EF4 tornadoes are generally strong enough to level well-constructed homes and toss cars.
(MORE: Where Additional Severe Weather Could Occur)
The NWS also said damage in nearby Rowlett indicated it was likely an EF3 tornado when it hit the town, which has winds up to 165 mph. City officials said 23 people were injured by the storm.
Two
additional deaths occurred about 17 miles to the north in
unincorporated Copeville, where an EF2 tornado was confirmed. Amy Cortez
of the Nevada Volunteer Fire Department told The Weather Channel the
two people died when a gas station along State Highway 78 was destroyed
by winds likely associated with the same tornado that struck Garland
minutes earlier.
So far this month, more than two dozen
people have been killed by tornadoes. According to Greg Carbin of the
Storm Prediction Center, this is the deadliest December for tornadoes in
62 years.
Month of Dec. tornado fatalities back to 1950. 2015 now greatest Dec. toll in 62 years.
Here are some of
the biggest impacts from the warm side of Winter Storm Goliath. All
times are Central Standard Time unless otherwise noted.
Missouri
Major, life-threatening floods were ongoing in parts of Missouri on Monday, and multiple water rescues were reported as the floodwaters rose rapidly.Officials in Jasper and Howell counties relayed reports of water rescues to the NWS late Monday morning. In Branson, water levels rose and inundated several buildings along the riverbed.
#Missouri Flooding-#Goliath #MOwx RT@Gjd1986 @weatherchannel another picture of the devastating flooding in Branson
Ten people were killed by severe flooding in parts of Missouri over the weekend. Two of those fatalities were confirmed in Greene County on Saturday, according to emergency management. They also reported at least 103 water rescues and 198 traffic control issues.
The two Greene County victims have been identified as Steven Welton, 42, and Edward Kammerer, 60. Welton drowned in a creek when his car was washed off the road on Saturday, the Missouri Highway Patrol told the AP. Kammerer, a tow truck driver, was electrocuted by a downed power line while he attempted to retrieve a vehicle that had gone off the roadway, Springfield-Greene County Office of Emergency Management executive director Chet Hunter said.
Six deaths related to flooding were confirmed in Pulaski County Sunday. According to Pulaski County Sheriff Ron Long, there were two separate incidents where cars drove into flooded roadways and were swept away.
Long has identified the two victims of the first incident as 53-year-old Ron Gray, and 50-year-old Sandra Tilley, both of Dixon.
The second incident involved four international soldiers, Long said. The soldiers have not yet been identified as the U.S. State Department is still in the process of notifying family members.
A 52-year-old man was killed in Douglas County Sunday night when he was swept away while attempting to bring cattle to higher ground, the NWS reported.
There has been one storm-related death in Dallas County, according to Gov. Jay Nixon's office, but no further information was available as of early Wednesday evening.
Nixon declared a State of Emergency on Sunday, according to KSDK News.
"Widespread flooding and continued rainfall are causing very dangerous conditions across much of central and southern Missouri," said Nixon in a release. “Multiple fatalities due to flash flooding have already been reported, and I urge Missourians in flood-affected areas to stay alert, avoid travel if possible and never drive into a flooded roadway. With more heavy rain expected tonight and tomorrow, state emergency management personnel will be working around the clock to keep Missourians safe.”
Flooding was reported across the St. Louis area Saturday, and several people had to be rescued from the rising waters. In Chesterfield, west of downtown St. Louis, a man had to be rescued from a tree as floodwaters rose Saturday evening, Fox 2 News reported.
The man and a child were swept away by the flooding, the report added, and the child was later found safe at a neighbor's home.
In Noel, emergency managers reported that approximately 20 water rescues were performed on Sunday, while upwards of 20 homes were inundated in flood water.
Saturday, five people were rescued from a cabin at Bennett Spring State Park in Dallas County, the NWS also reported. In McDonald County, 18 homes were flooded and the Tyson Foods wastewater system in Noel was impacted.
Red Cross shelters were opened to house residents forced from their homes by the flooding, according to a separate Fox 2 News report.
More than 3 inches of rain fell in many areas, and the NWS reported flooded roads in parts of Franklin County. The city of Eureka, along I-44 in St. Louis County, also experienced flooding.
The NWS relayed reports of water rescues in Monett, in the southwestern part of the state, Saturday evening. On Sunday morning, an apartment complex for senior citizens in the town of Sarcoxie was evacuated due to rising floodwaters, according to a separate NWS storm report. There were no injuries and the evacuations were just precautionary, officials confirmed to The Weather Channel.
With 11.15 inches reported by noon Monday, the NWS said Springfield has already clinched its wettest December on record, breaking a 120-year-old record.
Texas
Eleven people died, at least two of which were small children, and more than 600 homes and businesses were damaged from the round of tornadoes that tore through North Texas on Saturday night.The NWS confirmed seven tornadoes by Monday afternoon, and continued to survey two other areas that may have been hit by tornadoes Saturday. Five of those seven tornadoes were rated EF0.
Eight people were killed in the town of Garland, and two people died in Copeville. Seven of the eight people killed in Garland have been identified, according to the Associated Press:
- Camryn Craine, 1
- Kimberly Tippett, 30 (Craine's mother)
- Petra Ruiz, 27
- Lashondra Whitaker, 32
- Sharva Sanders, 42
- Timothy Harris, 58
- Cecil Lowrie, 77
KXAS-TV
said five of the deaths occurred near the intersection of Interstate 30
and the President George Bush Turnpike in Garland, a large city
northeast of Dallas that is a part of the Dallas-Fort
Worth metroplex, according to authorities. At least three of the five
victims were believed to be in vehicles at the time, Garland Police Lt.
Pedro Barineau told the AP on Sunday morning.
One of the fatalities in Blue Ridge was an infant, according to a separate Dallas Morning News report.
"This is a huge impact on our community and we're all suffering," Barineau said.(FORECAST: The Latest on Winter Storm Goliath)
Heartbreaking images from Chopper 5 live in Rowlett right now: WATCH LIVE: http://on.nbcdfw.com/8OvteeT
“That was the scariest moment I’ve ever had in my life,” she told the Dallas Morning News. “I’m a Texas girl, and I never had one like this before.”
According to the Associated Press, the destruction in Garland was so overwhelming that Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins declared the city was a disaster only minutes after witnessing the damage firsthand.
"I
don't declare local disasters lightly," said Jenkins. "But I looked at
the scene for 10 minutes, spoke to the incident commander and then
called the lawyers to bring the paperwork."
Just east of the Dallas
city limits, emergency officials were sent to a trailer park in
Sunnyvale, after they received reports of mobile homes ablaze and
injured residents. Dallas
County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Melinda Urbina told the AP that
many of the homes in the area were so damaged that they were likely
uninhabitable, and the Red Cross also responded to the scene.(MORE: What To Do After the Storm)
Stephanie Parker, the emergency manager for Ellis County, which is about 30 miles south of Dallas, posted on Twitter: "We have destroyed and damaged homes. Please do not get out on the roads if you do not have to."
Less than an hour later, The Weather Channel broadcast live video of a cone-shaped tornado in progress near Sunnyvale, beginning at 6:46 p.m. The long-track tornado smashed northward, nicking the southeast corner of Garland, where several of the deaths occurred, before roaring through neighboring Rowlett. It then crossed parts of Rockwall and Collin counties, passing near Farmersville and causing major damage there, according to local fire officials relaying information to the NWS.
Rowlett Mayor Todd Gottel issued a State of Disaster declaration Sunday morning after the town suffered extreme damage from a tornado Saturday night. City Manager Brian Funderburk said 23 people were injured, and a 24-hour curfew was in place for affected areas.
"Oh my God, the adrenaline was moving so fast; we were just holding on to each other and just praying," Rowlett resident Evanne Dalton told NBC Dallas-Fort Worth.
In addition to the tornado damage, flash flooding was reported across much of Dallas County due to heavy rainfall.
Mississippi
A confirmed tornado left damage in parts of Covington County Monday morning, about 20 miles northwest of Hattiesburg. A survey crew from the NWS announced Monday afternoon that the tornado was rated EF1, with maximum winds of 95 mph. It was 100 yards wide and stayed on the ground for 5.6 miles.According to WAPT.com, the tornado left damage on U.S. 49 and blew the roof off a house. Some roads were blocked by debris, but no major injuries were reported, WAPT.com also said.
The twister hit before dawn near the town of Seminary, Covington County Emergency Manager Greg Sanford told the AP.
Destroyed building alongside Hwy 49 in Seminary. #mswx
Illinois
A southern Illinois coroner says three adults and two children have drowned after the vehicle they were riding in was swept away and sank in a rain-swollen creek.Marion County Coroner Troy Cannon says the swift moving East Fork Creek carried the car off a low-water bridge about 7:30 p.m. Saturday near the town of Patoka, about 60 miles east of St. Louis.
The car became lodged 150 to 200 feet downstream, but shortly after the first firefighter arrived on the scene it was dislodged and sank.
Cannon says dive teams recovered the car from the water several hours later and the bodies of the victims from the car.
The names of the victims were not immediately released. Cannon says the vehicle was traveling from Kentucky to Minnesota.
Oklahoma
Rivers and streams rose rapidly on Monday in eastern parts of the state, and officials resumed a search for two missing duck hunters in northern Oklahoma, as well as a motorist whose car was swept off a flooded roadway in Pittsburg County, according to the AP.Oklahoma Highway Patrol Lt. John Vincent said the missing men were duck hunting on Kaw Lake on Sunday. Their capsized boat was found, but the two hunters remain missing, the AP reported.
Southeast of Tulsa, the Illinois River near Tahlequahrose well above its banks on Monday morning, flooding everything nearby.
Historic flooding occurring along the Illinois River.
"Treat this with respect. This is a dangerous event, this is a potentially life-threatening event and we want to make sure that people that takes this as seriously as it really is," Scott Pettus, Cherokee County emergency manager, told KTUL.com.
Customers of Altus Water were asked to conserve water for 24 hours on Saturday due to a power failure at Tom Steed Reservoir, according to Altus Emergency Management.
Flooding was expected to cause major problems across the state as the storm system dumped huge rainfall totals, and officials warned residents to stay home and off roadways, the Tulsa World reported. Authorities reported more accidents than usual, which they blamed on the weather, the report added. Several interstates and highways were closed by high water levels, as well.
Arkansas
An NWS survey crew confirmed an EF1 tornado hit an area southwest of Hampton Sunday in southern Arkansas. The rating was preliminary, and no other details were immediately available.
Tornado in Hampton. @KATVNews
"It looks like it hit about a four-block area," Ouachita County Sheriff David Norwood told Arkansas Online. "The crews are out checking to make sure there are no injuries and that we've got all residents accounted for."
NWS Shreveport reported a tornado southwest of Foreman, just across the Red River Sunday evening. The tornado was on the ground at Highway 41 heading northeast.
Emergency management officials in Waldron reported that almost all county roads in Scott County were closed Sunday night due to flooding. That included Highway 71 at Mansfield, Highway 80 West and Highway 28 East.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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