By Anjali Sharma
WASHINGTON – According to local media reports quoted local officials on Monday over 100 homes were damaged after a tornado swept through Harris County in Texas.
Constable Mark Herman confirmed the destruction in a Facebook post, noted that first responders are actively searched for residents who may be injured or trapped in the affected areas.
The National Weather Service confirmed a tornado struck the county, but has not yet determined the storm’s intensity.
Severe storms had developed across the Houston area on Monday, fueled by warm temperatures ahead of a cold front.
Meteorologists said an unstable atmosphere combined with wind shear produced supercell thunderstorms, leading to multiple tornado reports, media reported.
Herman described the event as a “severe weather event” that caused “widespread and significant damage.”
The spokesperson Miranda Sevcik said the tornado also hit the Harris County Emergency Services campus, ripped the roof and back wall off a maintenance building.
Sevcik said two men were working in the building at the time, and one held on to a rack, while the other ducked under a table as the tornado touched down.
“You can imagine how terrified they were, but they were just fine at the end of it,” she said.
No one on the campus was injured, she added.
Sevcik said large tree trunks on the campus “snapped like toothpicks” during the twister.
Media reported that drone footage of the destruction revealed the extent of the damage, including torn-off rooftops and debris strewn across yards and pools.
The photos posted by the Cy-Fair Fire Department also showed shattered windows, broken fences, damaged roofs, and debris scattered through the area.
Harris County officials said in post that residents are urged to avoid travelling if possible, as there is widespread debris and downed power lines in the impacted neighbourhoods.
“Our priority is the safety of our residents,” Herman said in a post.
“We are using every resource available to locate the injured, secure the area, and support our community through this emergency, he added.
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