Dallas Tornado Leaves Trail Of Destruction In Its Path

DALLAS, TX — A tornado that swept across North Texas on Sunday left a trail of destruction and injuries in its wake, particularly in Dallas, where homes and businesses were leveled.

The tornado destroyed homes, businesses, parks and more, according to multiple reports. Also hit hard were the outlying cities of Richardson and Midlothian. Following the powerful storm, Gov. Greg Abbott declared disaster areas in Cass, Cameron, Collin, Dallas, Ellis, Erath, Hunt, Kaufman, Lamar, Panola, Rains, Rockwall, Rusk, Tarrant, Van Zandt and Wood counties.

“By issuing this declaration, Texas is providing local officials with the resources they need to quickly respond and recover from this storm,” Abbott said in a prepared statement. “My heart goes out to the Texans impacted by this severe weather, and the people of Texas can rest assured that the state will do everything it can to assist those affected by these horrific storms.”

Read Governor Abbott’s full declaration.

The disaster declaration allows the waiver of certain regulations to enable utility companies to bring in out-of-state resources to assist in restoring power as quickly as possible, the governor explained.

Six people were hospitalized, according to reports. No deaths have been reported.

Residents across North Texas were warned to take shelter immediately just after 9 p.m. as the tornado swept through Dallas north of the Love Field airport. The tornado's touchdown in Dallas came after a line of powerful storms swept through North Texas hours earlier.

Related story: How You Can Help North Texas Tornado Victims

Tens of thousands of households were without power in the wake of the powerful storms — some 140,000 utility customers in the immediate aftermath of the destruction early Monday. By 10:30 a.m., officials at the Oncor utility said they had deployed crews to restore electricity, but noted it might take longer to do so given the need to replace utility poles in some areas.

"Oncor damage assessment and power restoration personnel have been deployed across Dallas-Fort Worth and surrounding counties following a line of severe overnight storms," Oncor said in a press advisory. "As of 9:00 a.m., 95,000 customers across the Oncor service territory are without power, with a large majority of outages, 55,000, in Dallas along the path of Sunday night’s confirmed tornado."

Oncor officials recapped the breadth of destruction and described the fury of nature's wrath: "The tornado heavily damaged homes, businesses, schools as well as electric transmission and distribution equipment. The overnight storms also produced extreme amounts of intense cloud-to-ground lightning, golf ball-sized hail, and winds of 50 – 70 mph outside the tornado impacted areas. The wide-spread storms also impacted areas of Waco, Temple, Tyler and Paris. Oncor has secured additional support from utility partners across Texas and neighboring states."

Given the storm's intensity, officials added, restoring power will be predicated on extensive repair to damaged utility infrastructure: "In many cases, complete reconstruction of electric equipment will be required, including replacing utility poles and transformers before new power lines can be installed. Oncor vegetation management personnel must also remove tree limbs and other debris from lines before repairs can be made. Customers should be prepared for the possibility of extended and multi-day outages in the case of extremely damaged facilities."

In an update issued just past 4 p.m., Oncor said it had restored power to more than 30,000 of its customers. Another 65,000 customers remained without power well into the afternoon, with a large majority of outages — estimated at some 46,000 — in Dallas and surrounding cities.

While assessment and restoration efforts are ongoing, Oncor is using specialty equipment, such as helicopters, drones and aerial lifts, to help identify and remove large amounts of debris caught on transmission and distribution lines. Given the complexity of the challenges, utility officials noted, it may be a while before affected residents will have electricity again.

"Oncor recognizes the challenges customers face without power, especially after such devastating storms. The Company remains focused on restoring power as quickly and safely as possible and thanks customers for their continued patience and vigilance," officials said in their update. "In many areas, Oncor is rebuilding entire systems — a complex and lengthy process that can involve installing new utility poles, transformers and power lines before energizing a neighborhood."

Utility crews will work around the clock to rebuild and restore service to customers, according to the update. Approximately 4,000 Oncor personnel and mutual assistance personnel from utility partners across Texas and neighboring states are expected to join restoration efforts by Tuesday, officials added.

Oncor released a video illustrating some of the work involved in restoring power, which is being aided by a helicopter transporting needed replacement parts to utility lines:

A Twitter user named Dakota Smith took cell phone footage of the tornado, illustrating its power and fury as it made its way to Dallas:

Photos showing the twister's massive size were abundant on social media:

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said the Texas Division of Emergency Management would be providing assistance to those displaced:

A reporter with the local Fox affiliate joined others in posting videos showing the destruction left in the tornado's wake:

North Texas Weather posted video of an area off Interstate 635 that resembled a dystopian, post-apocalyptic scene from a Hollywood movie set:

Texans unable to reach friends and loved ones kept an eye as people marked themselves safe from the Dallas tornado on Facebook throughout the day. Social media also was utilized by officials of Alamo Drafthouse theater chain to express relief at being spared by the tornado.

"Our theaters were fortunate to not be affected by last night's storms, however many of our neighbors weren't as lucky," officials wrote. "If you're without power or were in the path of the storm, or just need to take your mind off things for a little, we will be offering free tickets to all PG-rated films at Lake Highlands, Las Colinas and Richardson today, October 21."

The chain also invited those needing to charge their cell phones to the theaters' bars throughout the day: "If you just need to charge a device, all of our bars will be open and have power."

Oncor officials issued safety tips for residents to follow during and immediately following severe storms:

• If you see a downed power line, leave the area and call 9-1-1. In addition to the downed line potentially being electrified, anything touching the power line, such as a tree branch, could also be electrified. Keep pets, children and others away from the area.
• Do not attempt to remove debris and tree limbs from areas near power lines. The debris may be concealing a live wire or downed power line.
• Use caution when traveling on the roadways, especially in areas with heavy debris and streetlights without power.
• If you are experiencing and emergency event, call 911 immediately.
• Customers can report outages by calling 888-313-4747, texting OUT to 66267, or by downloading the MyOncor app.