This home was completely destroyed in Saturday night’s severe storm in Runaway Bay. More than 25 homes in the area sustained significant damage. BRIAN KNOX/WCMESSENGER
Wise County Judge J.D. Clark on Sunday issued a disaster declaration in the wake of an EF-2 tornado that killed one person, injured several more and damaged or destroyed more than two dozen homes in Runaway Bay.
In addition to the local declaration, Clark said he is requesting that Gov. Greg Abbott issue a similar declaration as well.
“The potential impact of this event includes continued threats to public health and safety due to displaced residents, damaged infrastructure and hazardous conditions in affected areas,” Clark stated in his letter to the governor. “Without additional support, these conditions may worsen and further strain local response and recovery capabilities.”
Clark requested state resources for life and safety efforts, debris management, damage assessment and access to any available state disaster relief programs and funding.
At a press conference Sunday morning, Clark said that anyone with damage to their home is asked to complete the Individual State of Texas Assessment Tool, or ISTAT, available in both English and Spanish.
On Sunday afternoon, damage at the epicenter of the destruction in Wise County was determined to be the result of an EF-2 tornado that produced up to 135 mph wind speeds, according to National Weather Service storm survey teams.
County Judge J.D. Clark speaks at a press conference Sunday at the Norma Coble Civic Center in Runaway Bay. BRIAN KNOX/WCMESSENGER
The reunification center that was opened last night for displaced residents has now been decommissioned after families were reconnected, Clark said. Multiple agencies continued to provide support Sunday in Runaway Bay, he said, including utility partners, the American Red Cross and the Texas Division of Emergency Management.
The National Weather Service is surveying the damage today to document the storm damage to help confirm the storm’s intensity and track the path of impact.
Clark said many people have reached out about volunteering, but no volunteer assistance is needed at this time.
“Wise County takes care of Wise County, and we are gonna stand strong, and we’re gonna stand together,” he said, adding that if the opportunity for volunteers or donations becomes appropriate, the county will share that information with the public.
Disaster area
The devastating effects of Saturday’s storm became apparent in the morning light of Sunday. Trees were snapped in half or uprooted altogether. Debris was wrapped around fence posts or utility poles, at least the poles that were left standing.
The hardest hit area was in the neighborhood near the intersection of Cumberland Trail and Overland Trail on the west side of the city. One home in that area was completely destroyed. Friends and family sifting through the rubble Sunday morning said one person in the home was killed and others injured when the storm hit.
Officials have not yet confirmed the person’s identity.
Massive devastation could be seen in the area of Cumberland Trail and Overland Trail in Runaway Bay. BRIAN KNOX/WCMESSENGER
One man, who still appeared to be in shock at the events of the previous night, looked at a small bumper-pull trailer that was completely destroyed, upside down against a snapped tree.
His friend and neighbor had been in the trailer just before the storm hit.
“I told him, ‘Hey, you need get to the house. It was a bad storm coming.’ So, he stayed over there with me. … Luckily, he did come over there,” the man said.
His home sustained major roof damage like many in the neighborhood.
A home on Cactus Canyon Drive in Runaway Bay suffered significant roof damage from Saturday’s storm. BRIAN KNOX/WCMESSENGER
About a block away, Jayden Cominsky said he watched as a tree in his front yard split in two. As the storm intensified with golf ball sized hail, he and his family took shelter in a bathroom.
“You could feel the floor shaking. The house was breathing, for sure,” he said over the buzzing of a nearby chainsaw. “You always hear the term ‘the calm before the storm?’ There was this 15-second window where it was just dead silent, and then the crazy wind again.”
He said a neighbor described how the sky went from being completely dark to green as the worst of the storm hit.
Luckily, his home did not sustain significant damage, although a vehicle parked in the driveway did have a broken window.
While the chances are low, more severe storms could develop later this afternoon in our area. The National Weather Service places the chance of storms at 20 percent. Any storms that do develop will have the capability of producing large hail and damaging wind gusts.
A riding lawnmower sits overturned among debris in a heavy hit neighborhood. BRIAN KNOX/WCMESSENGER
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