Tornado tears through Mineral Wells, Texas, leaving widespread damage - VIDEO
Several people are injured after a tornado in Mineral Wells, Texas, flattened a portion of the town on Tuesday night, marking the sixth consecutive day of a severe storm outbreak that has flattened the Midwest and continues to cause destruction across the US South.
The tornado tore through Mineral Wells, located about 80 miles west of Dallas, at around 5 p.m. Tuesday evening, according to city officials, News.Az reports, citing CNN.
Mineral Wells Fire Chief Ryan Dunn said two people were transported to the hospital and several others were treated for minor injuries at the scene. There are no reported deaths or active missing persons cases.
He added that he did not know the extent of the injuries of the two individuals taken to the hospital.
Officials said multiple homes and a large section of the industrial area were damaged, though a full assessment of the destruction will need to be carried out in the morning. Mineral Wells Police Chief Tim Denison stated that the affected area will be placed under a 10 p.m. curfew Tuesday night to prevent people from entering the damaged zones.
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He also noted that the local high school is being used as a reunification center, with the Red Cross present to provide assistance. He added that people have already begun organizing efforts to help those affected.
“There is a lot of hope out there, and we’ve had an outpouring of support from not only the first responding agencies but the community,” Denison said.
Tuesday’s storms also brought massive hail up to grapefruit size near Godley, Texas, while stones up to tennis ball and baseball size pummeled Springfield, Missouri, damaging vehicles and knocking down power poles.
Storm chaser Matt Jones was in the car in Springfield when hail bigger than golf balls picked up in intensity, cracking his windshield repeatedly. “This is insane, oh my God, I gotta get out of here,” Jones exclaimed.
An emu at Springfield’s Dickerson Park Zoo was killed during the hail storm and a rhea, a large bird similar to an emu, was injured, the zoo posted on social media. The zoo was significantly damaged by the hail and will be closed Wednesday, the post said.
Footage from Springfield-Branson National Airport showed wind-driven hail lashing the airport and crews covering damaged vehicles with tarps. Airport officials said aid groups distributed tarps within hours as recovery efforts began.
A Level 3 of 5 risk of severe thunderstorms remains in place Tuesday evening for much of Arkansas and parts of southern Missouri, northeast Texas, northern Louisiana and central and northern Mississippi. Damaging winds, large hail and a few tornadoes threaten millions Tuesday across a broader zone from the lower Mississippi Valley to the Tennessee Valley.
A tornado watch is in effect for parts of northern Mississippi, southwestern Tennessee, southeastern Arkansas and extreme northern Louisiana until 4 a.m. CT, according to the Storm Prediction Center. Besides potential tornadoes, damaging wind gusts and isolated large hail are also possible.
By Nijat Babayev
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