NWS Confirms EF-0 Tornado Tore Through Mesquite; Family's Home Destroyed
MESQUITE, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - Severe weather tore through North Texas early Saturday morning, and the National Weather Service confirmed an EF-0 tornado was the cause of extensive damage in Mesquite.
According to NWS, the tornado started at around 7:35 a.m. and had winds between 75 and 85 miles per hour. It carved through Allen Drive and destroyed Tiffany Thomas' home.
"About 7:55, we heard the rain, couple of minutes later we heard hail. And the next thing I heard was like a big boom. Sounded like a bomb went off. All the windows in the back of the house busted," said Thomas.
A severe thunderstorm warning had been issued for the area and other parts of North Texas as it moved through the early morning hours and waking up residents. The tornado is said to have hit the area of Allen Drive at Cedar Crest and tracked east over I-635 and south Belt Line Road before lifting in the area of Wilkinson and Paza.
The damage is especially difficult for Thomas as her son is usually away from home for college. However, he was visiting this weekend for Spring Break.
"It's heartbreaking right now. Because it's my mom, and I'm in school. So I'm kind of away. It's kind of heartbreaking to see my mom go through this," said Derrian Forge.
There is hope for the family as the community has come together to help ease the pain.
"Everyone was pitching in, 'what do you need? What do you need form us? Are you going to be okay?' Keep us in your prayers. We'll figure something out," said Forge.
It appeared most of the homes in the neighborhood had suffered some sort of damage due to the severe storms. City officials said there were no reports of injuries.
Less than a block away from Thomas' home is church that also suffered damage.
Sunday services at Emmanuel Pentecostal Church had to be canceled at its sanctuary due to the extensive damage.
The church's activity center was hit the hardest by the storms.