5 Dead, Including 4 Children, in Texas Flooding
A 64 year old woman and four of her grandchildren have been reportedly killed in overnight flash flooding in Palestine, TX
Rising flood waters claimed the lives of five, including four children, in Palestine, Texas, early Saturday morning.
At
least two people were injured Friday night after tornadoes touched down
in parts of Texas and Oklahoma. The twisters were part of a potent
storm system punching into a large portion of the South and flash flood
warnings continue to be a concern along the Gulf coast region.
Friday
a tornado was reported in Sherman, Texas, with no immediate reports of
injuries or damages. A second tornado was reported in Lindale, causing
injuries and multiple damages to structures in the area.
According
to the National Weather Service, a tornado moving at 30 mph was
reported in Elgin, Oklahoma, late Friday afternoon. Large hail
accompanied the storm, and damages were reported in the area.
(FORECAST: More Severe Thunderstorms, Flooding Rain Target South, Mississippi Valley)
Here are the latest state-by-state impacts.
Texas
In the eastern Texas town of Palestine, a
grandmother and her four grandchildren were swept away by flood waters,
NBCDFW reports. The bodies of the five victims were discovered by
police in the 100 Block of Timber Drive early Saturday morning as
officials were responding to reports of rising flood waters.
"We
are devastated because of it. I believe we're still missing one person
that is just outside the city limits," Palestine Assistant Fire Chief
Kyle Betterton told The Weather Channel. "Everybody is working
feverishly, using every resource they can to get to the people and help
the people."
According to KTBS, there were reports that the
flood waters had reached as high as the roofs of houses
and evacuations were underway. The woman was 64 years old while the
children were 9, 8, 7 and 6 years old, but their identities have not yet
been released.
Two
Boeing 737s were damaged at their terminal gates at Austin Bergstrom
International Airport Saturday morning as the storms moved through the
area. Winds of more than 60 mph pushed both planes around, landing one
on top of a baggage handling vehicle.
In
Cass County, several high water rescues were underway Saturday morning
in the town of Hughes Springs, the NWS reports, and families are being
evacuated to the civic center in town.
The
flooding was strong enough to rip railroad ties from the tracks in the
middle town and wash them out into the streets. Numerous roads have been
flooded in Henderson County as well.
The
NWS also reported that the storm blew out windows in Bastrop County
Saturday morning. An emergency manager said there was widespread damage,
including numerous torn off roofs and blown out windows. Structural
damage was done to homes and businesses, and numerous trees and power
lines were downed.
Friday a tornado was reported in Sherman.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or damages. A second tornado
was reported in Lindale, leaving at least two people injured and
causing multiple damages to structures in the area.
In Upshur
County, 15 to 20 homes have reportedly been damaged or destroyed,
according to the Associated Press. There were no immediate reports
of injuries in the area.
A
large tree was downed on top of a home and
roof debris was scattered in front of a local Dollar Tree in Lindale,
KYTX reports. Several power lines were also downed, contributing to the
spread of outages.
Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith told AP that
several injuries have been reported as a result of the Lindale tornado,
but fallen tree limbs and power lines have slowed first-responders from
reaching some areas.
As of Friday evening, Oncor reported 6,000 of
its customers were experiencing outages, KYTX also reports. Upshur
Rural reported 1,400 customers without power and Swepco reported 485.
The
Mayfest grounds in Fort Worth's Trinity Park were evacuated due to
reports of a thunderstorm packing hail, the Associated Press reports.
NWS reported hail the size of golf balls in Tyler, Texas, Friday. Residents took to social media to share photos of the barrage.
Oklahoma
Friday the
Oklahoma Highway Patrol shut down a nearly 20-mile stretch of Interstate
35 between Purcell and Norman. The closure went into effect after
tornadoes and heavy hail was reported in the area.
OHP Capt. Paul
Timmons told the Associated Press that the main north-south interstate
has been shut down from mile marker 98 near Purcell to Tecumseh Road in
north Norman. The closure came at the height of the Oklahoma City-area
rush hour.
The city of Elgin and nearby areas saw damage after a
reported tornado and hail near the size of the grapefruits were reported
in the city.
Strong winds flipped a trailer, but its occupants
were not injured, Comanche County Emergency Management spokeswoman
Ashleigh Hensch told the Associated Press. One of the occupants was sent
to the hospital to be treated for anxiety. Roofs of homes and fences in
nearby Fletcher also sustained minor damage.
Gusting winds
flipped a semi on the H.E. Bailey Turnpike in the area where the tornado was spotted, according to KTUL.
The reported tornado
totally destroyed a mobile home on Sooner Road in Ninnekah, spilling debris out into the street, FOX 25 reports.
Highway 81 in Ninnekah also saw damages caused by winds after four power poles were snapped at their bases.
Heeding warnings of severe weather, school officials with Moore Schools
canceled all activities scheduled for Friday night.
Del City High school also canceled events due to the weather, deciding to reschedule a basketball game and senior night for Monday.
Hail more than 3 inches in diameter was also reported north of Manitou on Friday, NWS reports.
Mississippi
Strong winds in Mississippi downed trees across roadways in the Wren area, where a wall cloud was spotted, NWS also reports.
Arkansas
Water rescues
were underway in western portions of Lewisville Saturday morning
according to the NWS, and several homes in Gin City are underwater as
well.
On Friday, strong winds blew through Greenbrier, badly
damaging the second story and roof of a bed-and-breakfast, the NWS also
reported.
The onslaught of weather continued, with flooding
inundated parts of Arkansas, leaving residents along MacArthur Drive in
North Little Rock without electricity Friday, according to KATV.
Fort Smith Police told 4029 News that there has been extensive hail damage in the southern part of the city. Sizeable
hail was also reported in Sebastian County.
Louisiana
Heavy rains and leaking water pipes
caused a portion of Canal Street to collapse Friday, WVUE reports. The large sinkhole opened up near Harrah's Hotel and Casino.
"This
is nothing short of incredible," said Mayor Mitch Landrieu during a
news conference. According to Landrieu, repairs should take three to six
months and cost up to $5 million.
A high-speed image of volcano lightning at Sakurajima Volcano. (Photo/Corrado Cimarelli)
