A storm system that caused widespread damage and numerous injuries in Texas drifted into Oklahoma, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama on Tuesday, possibly triggering “a regional severe weather outbreak,” the Storm Prediction Center said.
The affected areas, including the cities of Baton Rouge and Jackson, Mississippi, could see strong tornadoes, forecasters said.
Louisiana’s federal and state authorities reminded thousands of hurricane survivors living in government-provided mobile homes and recreational vehicle trailers to have an evacuation plan because the structures might not withstand the expected weather.
The storm already left misery in its wake in Texas, causing multiple injuries and one possible death.
Sarah Somers, director of the Office of Emergency Management in Grayson County in northeast Texas said in a statement provided to CBS News that ten people were brought to hospitals and officials were investigating a reported, but unconfirmed, fatality. Search and rescue operations were ongoing Monday night.
Officials reported damage throughout Jacksboro, about 60 miles northwest of Fort Worth. CBS Dallas-Fort Worth said as many as 80 homes were damaged and debris from homes, trees and power lines was scattered across a path at least a third of a mile wide.
Some people told the station the storm hit so fast, they had just minutes to find somewhere to shelter.
Images shared with CBS Dallas-Fort Worth showed damage to the wall and roof from parts of Jacksboro High School, especially its gym, and parts of Jacksboro Elementary School. Witnesses also said the storm struck the local animal shelter.
Thirty miles northeast of Jacksboro, near Bowie, damage also was said to be widespread with reports of some people trapped in collapsed structures. City manager Bert Cunningham said the worst damage was east of the town, where several people were reported trapped. Four people suffered minor injuries, said Emergency Manager Kelly McNabb.
Parts of central and east Texas, especially the Austin and College Station areas, also saw severe storms reported as tornadoes, the National Weather Service said. Photographs posted on social media showed damage to buildings in the Austin suburbs Round Rock and Elgin. No injuries were immediately reported.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said during a news conference Monday night in suburban Austin’s Williamson County that the “devastating” storms caused significant damage but the state would stand “shoulder to shoulder” with those affected, and he was thankful that there no reports of fatalities.
“We know there are many people whose lives have been completely disrupted and people who’ve lost their homes,” Abbott said. “At the very same time… it may be a miracle also, because even though there’s been some devastating physical damage, to my knowledge, as of right now, there is no report of loss of life, which is just stunning.”The rain was expected to bring relief to some areas of Texas hit by wildfires, but windy weather was expected to follow.
The rain was expected to bring relief to some areas of Texas hit by wildfires, but windy weather was expected to follow.
