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Tornado kills at least 3, injures 20 to 30 northeast of Houston | Watch live update from Polk County
The same storm system also killed at least two in Oklahoma and two others in Louisiana.
POLK COUNTY, Texas — A deadly tornado ripped through Polk County on Wednesday evening, causing widespread damage.
It killed at least three people and injured 20 to 30 others in Polk County alone, according to a 12 a.m. Thursday update from the Polk County Office of Emergency Management. Search and rescue efforts were still underway at that time.
The tornado was first reported by the National Weather Service at 5:30 p.m. as it tracked from Walker County into Polk County, about 75 miles northeast of Houston.
“We were informed that the Onalaska and northern portions of the county were in the primary threat area,” stated Polk County OEM on its Facebook page.
The tornado warning went into effect at about 5:45 p.m. and less than 30 minutes later there were reports of damage.
“The hardest hit area was Onalaska in the subdivisions of Yaupon Cove, Texas Acres, Canyon Park, Tree Farm Tracks, Kickapoo Estate, Triple Creek, Rocky Creek, Pine Harbor, Paradise Acres 1, 2 & 3, and Creekside.”
KHOU 11 Chief Meteorologist David Paul said the storm system tracked more than 200 miles across multiple states over a six-hour period on Wednesday. The Associated Press and CBS News reported there were at least four other deaths outside of Texas, including a trailer factory worker whose body was found a quarter mile from his workplace in Marshall County in southern Oklahoma. A second death was also reported in that same county. Also, a woman was killed on a bridge in Woodworth, Louisiana, 15 miles south of Alexandria. A man died in Louisiana when he went out in the storm to get a trash can, the AP reported.
Back in Texas, Ashley Dreahn was one street over when the Polk County tornado touched down. This is video she shot, along with photos of the storm damage.
Even into the very early-morning hours on Thursday the search and rescue efforts were still ongoing.
“We do not need any spontaneous volunteers. At this time, we have the personnel we need on site and we will request additional personnel if needed through mutual aid agreements and the State.”
Officials are asking people to stay out of the community to leave the roads clear from extra traffic. FM 356 in Onalaska was shut down due to storm damage as of Wednesday evening.
Storm damage in Polk County
Some photos that were taken near Onalaska High School show substantial storm damage. Amanda Price said her brother-in-law noticed that the pressure felt off and held onto the laundry door as the storm blew the back door off of his house. Price said he lives on Vince Drive in Onalaska.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott tweeted about the damage, saying the community would have the state’s full support to areas in the path of Wednesday’s tornado.
An area power company said about 9,000 people were left without power after several transmission lines were damaged. The company also said the tornado caused extreme damage to power lines in the area and it’s unclear how long it will take to make the repairs.
The Polk County Emergency Operations Center has been activated. Shelters at the Onalaska junior and senior high schools are in the process of opening for those needing emergency shelter.
Zachary Botley had just pulled over at a store when he saw the cloud.
“I see the mushroom cloud. It got to forming like a tornado,” he said.
Botley said he had just got off work when he pulled over at the store on Highway 59. After recording some video, he headed to his grandmother’s house in Seven Oaks.
“Trees snapped over. Pine trees snapped over. Her roof was gone. Just unbearable,” he said.
He said his grandmother, thankfully, was not inside when the twister hit. She’s safe, but won’t be returning to her home anytime soon.
“We just thank the Lord and pray and take it one day at a time,” he said.
Check out photos of the damage below:
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