We had a tornado in Lufkin TX last night! Passed over my house, thank God, but I still got lots of rain and wind. And in a mobile home, the wind doesn't have to be very hard to scare the dickens out of you. The tornado touched down in several places doing horrible damage. Again, thank God no one was seriously injured. About 3,500 customers still without power. Huge oak and pine trees crashed through homes,on top of cars and in streets. Metal carports wrapped around telephone poles, tall pine trees snapped off like tooth picks. There was a company that sells storage buildings...they were tossed like toys up and down the loop. Next to that a company that sells diesel tractors (that pull 18 wheelers)...some of the tractors are stacked on top of each other, again looking like toys. One man woke this morning, to discover coffins in his back yard, from a nearby funeral home. And part of the funeral home gone. The local VFW was destroyed. But a container with drinking straws in it, still sat on the only table left standing. It will take weeks of clean up. A disaster of this nature is difficult at any time, but at Christmas time... Tornadoes are usually in the spring to fall. Although many families are dealing with loss, it could have been so much worse.
I had heard about a tornado somewhere but never heard exactly where. Actually, tornadoes happening only from spring to fall is fallacy. They can happen any time of the year down here when the conditions are right, especially with the mild winters we usually have. In fact Texas has had at least one tornado in every month of the year over the years. There was an especially bad one in early Dec 1984 that hit Mesquite and did a lot of damage.
Oh, dear, what a horrible thing to happen. I'm glad no lives were lost. After all you can build houses back up. I'm glad you weren't hit Gaylyn.
Thank goodness it passed you over but my heart goes out to all those who've been injured or lost property. What a dreadful thing to happen to folks especially at this time of year. :'(
Oh good grief! What a thing to happen anytime...but especially on christmas eve! What a shame. I'm very glad you were not effected at all.
We had a tornado watch here but nothing sighted. I sure am happy to hear you are okay. Wasn't that wind something else though? I was so glad when it quit. It is sad when things like that happen at any time of the year but during a time when everyone should be having a good time and celebrating it is so much worse. dooley
I'm so glad you are ok Gaylyn.We usually have them all around us in that part of Texas.Texas is bad for tornados.
That sounds very scary. I'm glad it wasn't worse... When I lived in Illinois we had tornados -- I never got used to that.
Weather Service said it was an F3 tornado that hit. Winds between 130 - 140 mph! There were some mobile homes that were destroyed. Unfortunately the residents didn't have insurance. But again, thank God no one was seriously injured. Wish I had a camera that took decent pictures. :-x
Wow, KG, that's pretty serious wind. I'm so glad you weren't impacted at all... I hope those who lost their homes are OK.
Tornados terrify me and I live in Tornado country so that doesn't help one bit! I saw a neighbor's house taken apart one time and now I worry a lot that we will have a lot more of those here some day. I keep thinking of moving but I wouldn't know where to go -somewhere warmer I guess, but then there are always hurricanes to consider! moderator's note: removed website link, see point 1.1 of usage rules
The largest tornado I ever saw was app.3/4 mile wide.IT was in Kansas and a small one running beside the large one sucked the small one up.We were on hwy.283 I think.It was in 2000.Scarey me really bad but it turned away from us.
