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Wind uprooted a tree and scattered a trampoline into a front yard in Downtown Decatur Tuesday morning. AUSTIN JACKSON | WCMESSENGER
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Trees blocked Main Street near the Tree Haven Mobile Home Park sign in Decatur. AUSTIN JACKSON | WCMESSENGER
A severe thunderstorm capable of producing 75 mph wind gusts knocked down power lines, peeled back roofs and uprooted large trees in Wise County early Tuesday morning.
The storm arrived at around 4 a.m. Wise County placed under a severe thunderstorm warning and a tornado watch. The severe thunderstorm warning expired at 5 a.m.
The tornado watch will end at 11 a.m. A wind advisory and an elevated fire threat advisory remain in effect through the evening.
As of 6:41 a.m., Oncor reported that 3,400 customers were without power.
The outages were primarily in the Decatur, Paradise, Rhome and south Bridgeport areas. “Multiple reports of wire down have been received and crews are responding to those emergencies currently,” said Oncor Area Manager Sabrina Easley. “If anyone has a report of wire down on the ground or in trees, please call 911 and stay away as it could still be energized.”
As people got on the roads to head to work and school Tuesday, the scope of the damage came into focus. First responders and city/county crews have busy throughout the morning working to clear debris and address electrical hazards and roadway obstructions.
The Paradise area appears to be one of the hardest hit areas, according to the Wise County Office of Emergency Management. The OEM was in the process of surveying storm damage in the area Tuesday morning.
Several Decatur businesses partially lost their roofs, including Patti’s Hair Parlor and the Telstar Motel. Among the minor issues include a slew of displaced trash cans, portable toilets and trampolines taken by the wind.
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Trash bins were scattered in a field near the Decatur ISD administration building Tuesday morning after the storm AUSTIN JACKSON | WCMESSENGER
Bridgeport City Manager Mike Murray reported that city’s Community Center suffered roof damage, but otherwise, the city has faired relatively well with a surprisingly limited amount of outages.
A major concern for the city were the arsenal of animatronic dinosaurs that were recently installed Bridgeport’s Northwest OHV Park for the Jurassic Journey event, which opens Thursday. Murray reported that all dinosaurs have been accounted for and that they were unharmed in the storm.
“They were tied down,” Murray said. “So, at least the storm wasn’t an extinction event.”
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A gazebo, or a similar canopy structure, crashed onto College Avenue in Decatur, bringing some tree limbs with it. AUSTIN JACKSON | WCMESSENGER
The Wise County Office of Emergency Management is requesting residents report significant storm damage via a survey, which assists response and recovery efforts:
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