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More than 100 homes were damaged on Monday afternoon after a tornado hit Harris County, Texas authorities said. Officials said there were no serious injuries or deaths. Brian Murray from the county’s office of homeland security and emergency Management said teams earlier moved through the debris to check if anyone was trapped or hurt, CNN reported. The National Weather Service has confirmed a tornado struck the area but has not yet rated its intensity. The storm formed as warm air met a cold front in the Houston region, creating unstable conditions and strong winds that led to supercell thunderstorms and several tornado reports.
Scenes of destruction
Drone footage showed torn-off rooftops and debris scattered across yards and pools.Photos posted by the Cy-Fair fire department showed shattered windows, damaged fences and broken structures across the area.County officials urged residents to avoid travelling because of downed power lines and widespread debris. “Our priority is the safety of our residents,” Herman said. “We are using every resource to find the injured, secure the area and support our community.”
Emergency crews assess damage
Herman called it a “severe weather event” that caused “widespread and significant damage.” The Harris County emergency services campus was also hit. A maintenance building lost its roof and back wall, according to spokesperson Miranda Sevcik. Two workers inside took cover and escaped without injury. Sevcik said large trees “snapped like toothpicks.” She was in another building during the tornado and described hearing shutters fall, feeling a sudden pressure drop, and then a brief silence before the storm moved on.“What sounded like hail turned out to just be the shutters dropping, and then all of a sudden, you could feel the pressure drop, and then it just got really, really quiet,” Sevcik described. “It went by very, very fast. And then we opened the doors, thankfully …and we saw the damage. We’re like, ‘oh, my gosh,’ just like matchsticks.”
Tornado watch continues
A tornado watch is in place until 1 am CT for much of eastern Texas, including Houston. The watch also covers parts of western and central Louisiana.
