Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Lindale Mayor Robert Nelson has declared the city a disaster area, following a suspected tornado that damaged an estimated 50 homes Saturday afternoon, according to Smith County officials.
The American Red Cross has set up shelters at The First Methodist Church in Lindale and at the Red Springs Fire Department. No injuries have been reported.
Emergency workers first responded to reports of two possible but unconfirmed tornadoes about 3:20 p.m. Saturday.
Smith County Fire Marshal Connie Wasson later confirmed the affected areas were Eagles Peak off of County Road 346 and The Woodlands and Woodlands Park subdivisions off of Jim Hogg Road. The second potential tornado damaged the area of Farm-to-Market Road 2710 and Stacy Road.
“Preliminary estimates indicate six to eight homes with major damage, with another 30 to 35 with lesser damage,” Nelson said. “We have received a number of calls and walk-in volunteers who wish to help. While we appreciate the support for our community, right now we ask for thoughts and prayers for those affected We ask that the general public to stay away from the area until a plan is developed.”
Among the homes affected was one under construction on Farm-to-Market Road 2710. Builder Cameron Burgess said the house was near completion, and a buyer was interested and ready to do a final walk through. Pieces of the home now are scattered across a nearby field.
“Apparently, they said there was no warning. It just touched down right here,” builder Cameron Burgess said, as he surveyed the damage Saturday afternoon. “We haven’t ever had to file a claim like this.”
Gage Goodson, a neighbor who lives across the street, watched the storm strike.
“I was making cookies, and the rain just started hitting really hard. I looked out my window, and all of a sudden, the roof just lifted up and scattered across the trees next to the house, and it was just gone real quick.”
Goodson added there wasn’t any sign of the storm’s severity prior to impact.
“It just looked like a whole lot of rain. My first thought wasn’t tornado, because there was no warning or anything,” Goodson said. “It just came down in a ton of rain, and all of a sudden, the roof just lifted it. I didn’t hear anything. It just sounded like really hard rain, then all of a sudden, it sound like two trains collided.”
As the storm began to clear Saturday, the Red Cross began to assess damage and mobilize volunteers at the two emergency shelters.
Larry Wilson, a church member and volunteer at the shelter at First Methodist Church, said the location has served as a shelter previously, including in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, when the church set up 100 disaster response bags to get victims through the first few days.
Church member Rena Grubbs said volunteers at the site were told to expect 15 to 20 people.
“We always open up our doors,” she said.
The central Lindale Fire Department is set up as the command center. Wasson asked that residents of the affected areas report there first before trying to get to their homes, as some streets are impassible. Those who do not live in the area are asked to stay away at this time.
Courtesy of tylerpaper.com
Discover more from
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
