PHOTOS: Texans pick up pieces following deadly EF4 tornado in Garland Saturday

By Brian Lada, Meteorologist

December 28,2015; 10:47PM,EST

 

Residents of northeastern Texas are picking up the pieces after a weekend filled with severe weather, flooding rain and multiple tornadoes.
Saturday night brought the worst of the severe weather when multiple tornadoes touched down around Dallas, leading to at least 11 fatalities, dozens of injuries and extensive travel delays, according to the Associated Press.
One of the severe storms that spawned a tornado tracked right over downtown Dallas, but the tornado lifted before the storm moved over the city sparing the downtown area of a major disaster.

Devastating destruction in wake of deadly Texas tornadoes

Other communities were not as fortunate as Dallas. Garland, Texas, a town located just northeast of Dallas, was hit by the strongest tornado of the weekend just after sunset on Saturday evening.
Several homes were completely destroyed by the tornado, leaving some people trapped and injured in their homes until fire and rescue crews were able to arrive at the scene.
This same tornado also tracked over interstate 30 and caused a multiple-car pileup and blocking traffic on the interstate for several hours.
The National Weather Service determined that this twister was an EF4, the second strongest classification of tornadoes with winds stronger than 200 mph.
Rowlett, Texas, was another town that was hit hard by Saturday night's tornadoes. An EF3 tornado damaged at least 600 homes and injured at least 23 people.
An emergency vehicle drives through a neighborhood in Rowlett, Texas, Sunday, Dec. 27, 2015, the morning after it was struck by a tornado. (AP Photo/Rex C. Curry)
Greg Abbott, the Governor of Texas, responded to the extensive damage caused by Saturday's tornadoes, declaring a state of disaster for Dallas, Collin, Ellis and Rockwall counties.
This declaration allows all available resources of the state government to be used to cope with the disaster.
RELATED:
Live updates on the severe weather, blizzard and ice threats
10 of the most memorable weather photos of 2015
The difference between tornado watches and warnings
Additional tornadoes touched down on Sunday in eastern Texas and southern Arkansas. There were no reports of injuries or fatalities from Sunday's tornadoes.
Delores Downard salvages items from her son's house in Rowlett, Texas, Sunday, Dec. 27, 2015, the morning after it was struck by a tornado. (AP Photo/Rex C. Curry)
Tornado that touched down near Fordyce, Arkansas, on Sunday. (Photo/Jessica Rothwell)
A picture of a house destroyed by a tornado on Saturday night in Ovilla, Texas. (Photo/Jonny Snow)