Texas town declares emergency after tornado flips cars, shreds roofs in Temple
TEMPLE, Texas – Significant damage was reported in Central Texas after an EF-2 ripped through the town of Temple on Wednesday, leaving a trail of destruction to homes and businesses that forced officials to declare an emergency and tell people to stay off roads.
A supercell thunderstorm with at least one tornado tore across the region around 6:30 p.m. local time, triggering Tornado Warnings that sent residents scrambling to get to safety.
Photos and videos from the impacted communities in Bell County, including the town of Belton, showed massive trees that had been blown over across roads, vehicles heavily damaged and flipped over, and numerous buildings that suffered significant damage and destroyed roofs.
Other videos showed utility poles that had been heavily damaged by the strong winds and power lines stretched across roads, while a manufactured building was seen leaning on its side after being blown off its foundation during the extreme weather.
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Immediately after the storm, officials in Temple said they were working a flurry of emergency calls from residents, but so far no significant injuries or deaths have been reported.
"If you can stay home, please do so," officials said in a news release. "Some roads are dangerous, closed or impassible."
Significant damage was also reported in the town of Belton, southwest of Temple.
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"We are still assessing storm damage, but we know there are trees over multiple roads and widespread power outages," officials said in a Facebook post.
Photos showed crews working to remove storm debris left behind after the storm, as well as trees that had fallen over and were blocking roads.
As of Wednesday night, officials said they had removed more than a dozen trees that had been blocking roads and crews would continue to conduct cleanup efforts.
Original article source: Texas town declares emergency after tornado flips cars, shreds roofs in Temple
