'I bounced like a ping-pong ball,' high winds flip over mobile home with family inside
PARKER COUNTY (CBSNewsTexas) - People in Poolville are picking up the pieces after storms swept through early Friday morning, leaving a trail of destruction.
Huntley tells me he’s blessed to be alive and trying to figure out where his family will stay after their home was destroyed. @NWSFortWorth will be out here to survey damage today. @CBSNewsTexas pic.twitter.com/68HrIXsDjD
— Nick Starling (@NickStarlingTV) March 24, 2023
A possible tornado developed there around 5 a.m., according to The National Weather Service, which will head out to survey damage. Power lines were downed, blocking roadways and high winds flipped over several mobile homes.
Overnight high winds tore Eric Huntley's home apart. He said it was picked up and thrown on its side.
"Soon as I got the alert, I went to go look outside and then I heard a moan… I'll never forget that sound," Huntley described. "When I heard that I screamed, 'get the kids' and my wife got out of bed and I ran down the hallway but before I could get three feet, the whole house jerked to the side. I balled up and I started hitting everywhere like a ping-pong ball."
Three hours west of Poole, people in Mineral Wells saw wind gusts of 60 mph. Also a 71 mph gust was reported near Whitesboro in Cooke County.
Some areas such as Gainesville and Stephenville picked up around two inches of rain.
CBSNewsTexas First Alert meteorologists predict a possible redevelopment of a few storms around midday, mainly along and east of I-35. Additionally, an isolated severe storm is possible with a marginal risk of quarter-size hail and wind gusts of up to 60 mph.
But around 1 - 2 p.m., North Texas skies will clear from west to east, leaving sunshine to wrap up an active Friday. Temperatures will eventually warm into the upper 70s ahead of a gorgeous weekend.
You can donate to a GoFundMe for Huntley here.