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Drone 11 video: Daylight shows extent of severe damage in Crockett, Texas after EF-2 tornado hits
Residents are dealing with damaged homes, injuries and power outages after a tornado barreled through their Houston County community.
Matt Dougherty, Michelle Homer, Briahn Hawkins
4:11 AM CDT March 22, 2022
1:57 PM CDT March 22, 2022
CROCKETT, Texas — Folks in the town of Crockett are dealing with the damage from a tornado and severe thunderstorms between Monday night and early Tuesday morning.
Around 9:30 Monday night, the National Weather Service confirmed a tornado touched down in the east Houston County community, about 115 miles northeast of Houston. A team sent to assess the damage Tuesday said it was an EF-2.
There have been reports of injuries in Crockett, but KHOU 11 hasn’t been able to confirm how many people have been hurt or how bad the injuries are.
As the sun rose Tuesday, the extent of the damage was more clear: Homes and businesses destroyed; smashed vehicles; an overturned 18-wheeler; a boat lifted to dry land; uprooted trees; and debris everywhere.
One resident put it in perspective.
“But at the end of the day, if we can sit here and stand here and talk to you, we’re extremely blessed,” Ansel Bradshaw said.
The Crockett Civic Center is being used as an emergency shelter for residents that have lost their homes or had them damaged. Leaders at the center told KHOU 11 before that there were about 60 people, but several more have shown up since then.
Downed power lines have blocked roads and left thousands of people without power. They’re also making it difficult for emergency crews to check homes for injuries.
Cell phone service has also been down for a lot of people.
Emergency services have been stretched thin. KHOU 11 reporter Matt Dougherty has tried to reach out to local police and the sheriff’s office multiple times but they are overwhelmed.
We have another crew in Crockett and will have live updates on KHOU 11 News at noon, 4, 5 and 6 p.m.