EF-1 tornado touches down in Irving, damages homes and scares residents
It was a scary morning for Irving residents as an EF-1 tornado caused significant damage to homes, apartments, and powerlines, leaving many people shaken up.
"I had the covers over my head because I thought the windows were going to blow through," said Pam Watkins, who lives in Irving.
"As soon as my eyes opened, I heard a loud explosion. The windows blasted," said her neighbor, Saif Toppah.
"Scary" might not be a big enough word to describe the morning these residents experienced when the tornado landed in Irving.
"I can't even imagine waking up to no roof over your head. You probably have extensive water damage, you know, items that are dear to your heart that could be damaged and irreplaceable," said Anthony Alexander with the Irving Police Department.
Alexander said more than 350 residents had to be evacuated from two apartment buildings in the city.
Toppah, who lives in a house between those two buildings, said he won't have to leave his home, but it did take some damage from the storm.
"I think it was around 5:30 in the morning with the torrential wind and rain. A log from the top of that tree cracked, broke apart, and was carried by the heavy wind right through all the windows," he said.
Both Toppah and Watkins know things could have been worse.
"I'm blessed. I have minimal damage, but about 50 yards from me, part of their home is just completely demolished. The lower-income housing up the street is almost demolished. There's a gas leak outside of one of our middle schools, which is just really sad. It's disrupted a lot of life around here," said Watkins.
But she's choosing to look on the bright side.
"Well, we're blessed with a beautiful day, so I'm grateful for that, and grateful for a friend that's going to take me to work. I haven't walked to work in a while like that. That did cross my mind about your parents. I had to walk a mile in the snow, and I'm like, well, if they can walk a mile in the snow, I can walk a half a mile in the sunshine."
Irving police said the Georgia Farrow Recreation Center is available as a shelter for people who have been evacuated from their homes and anyone who feels unsafe in their home tonight.
