ELLIS COUNTY — A tornado that hit Ellis County on Saturday was officially rated as an EF-3 on Monday, with winds ranging from 150 to 165 mph.
The office of emergency management also determined Monday that more homes had been damaged than previously thought, bringing the total to 152.
Neighborhoods affected by the historic storm were under a curfew until 7 a.m. Monday. It was an inconvenience for residents, but despite the extensive damage, no lives were lost there.
Many neighborhoods near Ovilla, Red Oak, and Midlothian remained a soggy, wet mess on Sunday evening.
A solid steel pole bent in the ground. Many homes are barely recognizable.
Two of the homes examined for structural damage were in the Cross Creek subdivision in Waxahachie. There were few homes that were left untouched there, but the amount of damage varied from home to home, typical with the random nature of tornadoes. Some had only roof damage, others had roofs completely torn off, and then some were demolished or left with only the interior rooms standing.
National Weather Service Meteorologist Mark Fox said many of the people he spoke to with took shelter inside their home's interior rooms, and as a result, they escaped with their lives and only minor injuries.
Fox also said that Saturday's storms served as a reminder that severe weather and tornadoes can happen at any time of the year and people should always have a safety plan in place.
Subdivisions were opened up by mid-afternoon, giving homeowners a few hours to work through the rain to salvage belongings before police enforced a 5 p.m. curfew.
That's what Cory Roseborrough was doing on Sunday. But without electricity, he had only a vague idea of the magnitude of the devastation away from his cul-de-sac.
"I know there was some stuff up in Garland, and I know it was bad up there, but I haven't seen anything," he said.
Then he was informed that a total of 11 people lost their lives in Garland and in Collin County.
"Holy moly… I did not know that. God blessed us there… and God be with them," he said.
Shields Elementary School in Red Oak was right in the path of Saturday's tornado. The bulk of the damage is on the school's backside. Walls of classrooms were blown out entirely. The entire school yard is littered with debris from school supplies, wooden planks, insulation, and nails. Debris believed to have been ripped from a nearby church is also strewn about.
While the school building is otherwise mostly structurally-sound, it's still not safe for the district's roughly 550 students to attend classes in.
Throughout the day, volunteers were busy transferring chairs, desks, and other supplies over to Red Oak Junior High School, where students will attend classes until Shields can be rebuilt.
Superintendent Dr. Scott Niven, said he was both amazed and proud of the community effort to get the vacant school ready for students to use for several months. Shields may not be fully repaired until fall of 2016.
Niven said the district is extremely fortunate that classes were not in session when the storms came through.
Most of school's supplies were ruined by the rain or blown away by the wind. They need things like rulers, pencils, notebooks, etc. The Red Oak School District is taking donations at Acorn Community and Family Services Center located at 101 Live Oak Street in Red Oak, Monday to Wednesday Dec. 28-30 from 8:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Most of school's supplies were ruined by the rain or blown away by the wind. They need things like rulers, pencils, notebooks, etc. The Red Oak School District is taking donations at Acorn Community and Family Services Center located at 101 Live Oak Street in Red Oak, Monday to Wednesday Dec. 28-30 from 8:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
You can find the complete list of needed supplies at this link, or make monetary donations at this link.
Students return from their winter break on Jan. 5.
