Texas Cities Sustain Heavy Damage From Powerful Storms

AUSTIN, TX — Powerful storms on Saturday left a trail of destruction in the Texas cities of Abilene and San Angelo, the latter city hit by a tornado.

No injuries were reported in the storms' aftermath, but homes and cars were destroyed in cities now strewn with fallen tree limbs and other debris. Cars were left stranded by motorists running to safety amid rising water in some parts of the city, according to local media reports, and widespread power outages were reported.

Displaced residents in the San Angelo neighborhood of Bradford were transported to First United Methodist Church downtown for temporary lodging, the San Angelo Police Department said. Displaced residents were originally housed at Bradford Elementary School before they were accommodated at the church, a police spokeswoman told reporters.

Post-storm, County Judge Steve Floyd declared the landscape a local disaster area before San Angelo Mayor Brenda Gunter issued a declaration limiting access to the area north of 22nd Street between Poe and Main streets. Residents of homes deemed uninhabitable by building officials were ordered to leave the area by 8 p.m. Moreover, residents of homes still in livable condition were allowed to stay on their properties but barred from leaving after 8 p.m., according to a city notice.

"San Angelo Police Department officers will be patrolling the area and actively enforcing the order," the mayor wrote. "Homeowners who suffered damage in this morning’s storm should contact their insurance companies and document all damage."

Residents of the West Texas town along with storm chasers posted photos of damage incurred by the tornado that touched down there, dramatically illustrating the extent of Mother Nature's wrath.

Heavy rains made roads impassable, as other photos illustrated:

The powerful storms also wiped out a bit of local history. The San Angelo Standard-Times reported a Bois-D'arc tree that had withstood the elements for more than 135 years at its spot next to the historic county courthouse succumbed to winds that reached up to 80 miles per hour amid Saturday's severe storm. County officials had recently pruned the aging tree in attempts to keep it healthy, the newspaper reported. The arboreal landmark was reduced to rubble after its planting next to the courthouse around 1884, according to the report.

San Angelo is a little over 200 miles northwest of Austin.

In West Central Texas, the city of Abilene also was hit hard by nature's fury as city officials worked to draft a disaster declaration for the area. Municipal leaders told KTXS the hardest hit parts of the city were in the western portion, stretching from Corsicana Street to Willis Street and Hartford/South 14th Street to South 1st Street.

No injuries were reported, but thousands of residents experienced structural damage to their homes as Abilene utility officials scrambled to restore power to numerous homes.

According to Abilene Reporter News, the National Weather Service office in San Angelo confirmed a strong line of strong winds hit the region but stopped short of categorizing the weather event as a tornado. An official determination on that is expected to be made on Sunday or Monday, according to the report.

Abilene is located roughly 217 miles northwest of Austin.