TEMPLE, Texas — The city of Temple is past the response phase and in the recovery phase after a tornado swept through Wednesday evening.
The worst hit areas are in west Temple in relatively newer neighborhoods. Police have closed off several neighborhoods to residents only. They say it's a safety measure to prevent theft and to give families the time and space to clean up.
"I lost my businesses. I lost my house...in one tornado," said Hansy Howard.
Howard recalls holding on for dear life inside the bathroom of her dog grooming shop. Her shop and the house next door have sustained major damage.
"I worked hard for this. I worked really hard for this and now it's gone," Howard said.
Crystal Sokolowski and Meghan Murkin both lost their cars in the tornado. Both have blown-out windows and objects impaled into the vehicle. Both were huddled in bathrooms waiting out the tornado in their respective establishments.
"I'm supposed to drive to Tennessee today and I cannot get home. I would like to say it's totaled. It's not drivable," said Sokolowski.
The latest count is more than 30 people are injured and no fatalities have been reported. Most of those are minor injuries and they've been treated and released. The city estimates more than 500 homes and businesses were destroyed by this tornado and more than 100 of those buildings are very badly damaged.
"We could hear [the tornado] and feel it in the building," said Murkin. "The walls started to fall in on us. The roof was lifted and it was so loud," said Sokolowski.
Mayor Tim Davis of Temple said in a press conference Thursday morning that the recovery process will take a while and pleads for patience. Emergency managers expect it to take weeks, maybe months, to return the area back to some kind of normal in Temple.