Rescue workers combed through what remained of a North Texas subdivision Thursday morning as they searched for survivors after a mile-wide tornado ripped through the area, killing at least six people and injuring dozens of others.
The National Weather Service said Thursday that as many as 10 tornadoes may have hit towns south of Fort Worth beginning Wednesday evening.
Granbury, about 35 miles southwest of Fort Worth, appeared to be among the hardest hit areas, officials said, accounting for most of the dead and injured so far, according to Sheriff Roger Deeds of Hood County. More than a dozen people remain unaccounted for Thursday morning.
More than 250 people have been evacuated from Rancho Brazos, a subdivision a few miles southeast of Granbury, where at least 50 of some 110 homes suffered extensive damage, officials said.
“Most all of that is heavily damaged to totally destroyed,” Sheriff Deeds said at a news conference. “It’s definitely a nightmare.”
Storms arrived in the area Wednesday about 6:30 p.m., bringing hard rain and a barrage of baseball-sized hail, according to the National Weather Service. About 30 minutes later, the weather service issued a tornado warning and local officials began evacuating residents.
Sheriff Hood said he had originally hoped the county would be spared and the storm would pass without developing into a more dangerous weather system.
“I thought we were going to squeak by,” he said. But, he said, once he was made aware of the size of the storm, “we knew it was going to be a long night in Hood County.”
The National Weather Service said Thursday that as many as 10 tornadoes may have hit towns south of Fort Worth beginning Wednesday evening.
Granbury, about 35 miles southwest of Fort Worth, appeared to be among the hardest hit areas, officials said, accounting for most of the dead and injured so far, according to Sheriff Roger Deeds of Hood County. More than a dozen people remain unaccounted for Thursday morning.
More than 250 people have been evacuated from Rancho Brazos, a subdivision a few miles southeast of Granbury, where at least 50 of some 110 homes suffered extensive damage, officials said.
“Most all of that is heavily damaged to totally destroyed,” Sheriff Deeds said at a news conference. “It’s definitely a nightmare.”
Storms arrived in the area Wednesday about 6:30 p.m., bringing hard rain and a barrage of baseball-sized hail, according to the National Weather Service. About 30 minutes later, the weather service issued a tornado warning and local officials began evacuating residents.
Sheriff Hood said he had originally hoped the county would be spared and the storm would pass without developing into a more dangerous weather system.
“I thought we were going to squeak by,” he said. But, he said, once he was made aware of the size of the storm, “we knew it was going to be a long night in Hood County.”