DALLAS — Officials are surveying the damage left behind after severe storms battered northeast Texas Friday by way of heavy rain, damaging winds and multiple tornadoes.
A tornado watch was issued for 36 Texas counties Friday afternoon, including Dallas County, but extended all the way through Oklahoma and into parts of Arkansas before it expired about 8 p.m.
In that time, multiple confirmed tornadoes touched down, including one over Point — 17 miles southeast of Greenville — as it headed toward Sulphur Springs. The storm system continued near East Texas cities of New Boston, Naples, Brookston and Paris.
The Paris News confirmed “significant” damage to the small rural community of Powderly in Lamar County after a tornado left a “miles-long trail of destruction,” according to the publication. Ten people were hospitalized, with two in critical condition, and at least 50 homes were damaged, the Lamar County Sheriff’s Office said.
As of Saturday morning, no deaths had been reported in Texas, but one fatality was confirmed in McCurtain County, Oklahoma, according to The Associated Press.
Additionally, the National Weather Service said a record amount of daily rainfall, coming in at 3.01 inches, was recorded at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport Friday, breaking the previous record of 1.77 inches set in 1956.
Preliminary storm surveys are expected to take place throughout the weekend. Two teams were sent out to assess damage in Lamar and Henderson counties Saturday, the weather service said, and surveys will continue Sunday, with a team expected to evaluate Hopkins County.
The first round of results are not expected until late Saturday afternoon, according to the weather service.
Texans are encouraged to report damage once the storm passes using the Individual State of Texas Assessment tool at damage.tdem.texas.gov.
To assist in the region’s recovery, Gov. Greg Abbott increased the readiness level of the Texas State Emergency Operations Center to a Level II Friday, which activated state resources to support local emergency services, including directing the Texas Division of Emergency Management “to swiftly provide all necessary resources to protect our communities.”
About 9:15 p.m. Friday, the Texas A&M Forest Service said it sent crews, heavy equipment and sawyers throughout northeast Texas.
Those crews worked through the night in Lamar, Bowie, Cass, Red River and Morris counties, the forest service said, and personnel from outside northeast Texas arrived Saturday morning to “assist on saw teams, with heavy equipment, and logistical support.”
In the meantime, a dry and cool weekend will be followed by warmer, humid weather next week. While there is a slight chance of rain on Monday and again on Friday, “severe weather looks unlikely at this time,” the weather service said.
———
