Chopper 5 over #Granbury Sad images of destroyed homes. This house still has clothes in closet & food in cupboard twitter.com/SDaviesNBC5/st…
— Samantha Davies (@SDaviesNBC5) May 16, 2013
A cluster of devastating tornadoes struck north-central Texas last night, causing millions in damage and killing several victims. As many as 10 tornadoes brought extreme winds and monster-sized hail, with the greatest devastation — and death — in the area of Granbury in Hood County, near Fort Worth.
Here's what you need to know.
1. 6 People Are Dead
House completely destroyed with only the slab left - #Granbury, Tx twitter.com/NWSFortWorth/s…
— NWS Fort Worth (@NWSFortWorth) May 16, 2013
Six people are confirmed dead — all in the Ranchos Brazos subdivision — and some 14 are missing. The death toll is expected to rise as emergency workers comb through the wreckage. As many as 100 people have been injured, with 16 critically injured, according to MyFoxFW.
According to the Red Cross, the areas most affected were Hood County (worst damage), Johnson County, Parker County, Wise County and Montague County.
2. One of the Tornadoes Was a Mile Wide
Major tornado damage from last night in Cleburne. This is from chopper5. @nbcdfw#txwx twitter.com/GrantJNBC5/sta…
— Grant Johnston (@GrantJNBC5) May 16, 2013
According to multiple reports, the largest tornado in the cluster was a mile wide, touching down 2 miles south of the town of Cleburne in Johnson County, though meteorologists have suggested it was slightly smaller than that. The average tornado ranges from a few yards to several hundred yards across.
Unbelievable #Texastornado photo:Couple comfort each other after mobile home lands on their house twitter.com/ShropshireStar…
— Natasha Zouves (@10newsnatasha) May 16, 2013
3. There Was "Grapefruit-Sized" Hail
In addition to powerful winds, tornadoes often come with other freakish weather phenomena, including abnormally large hail. This cluster brought hail as large as grapefruits in some places. The above image was shared on Reddit by earthless_orchid.
oh my stay safe texas RT @wusa9:Deaths/injures due 2 large hail & tornadoes in north Texas. on.wusa9.com/10zHwmG twitter.com/wusa9/status/3…
— CherieBlossum(@cherieblossum) May 16, 2013
4. 20,000 Homes Lost Power
#Texas tornado photo: power lines down this morning in Winchester neighborhood twitter.com/flandersvision…
— Natasha Zouves (@10newsnatasha) May 16, 2013
In a testament to the scale of the carnage, 20,000 homes were left without power this morning.
5. Habitat for Humanity Homes Were Destroyed
In a cruel twist, many of the homes leveled were built by Habit for Humanity — a volunteer organization that builds lower-income housing often rebuilds areas ravaged by natural disasters. The Star-Telegram reports on the Rancho Brazos subdivision, where all six fatalities were reported:
The neighborhood has 110 homes, and during the last five years much of the construction has been by Habitat for Humanity
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