Authorities said a powerful storm hit the northern Texas town of Matador Wednesday night, killing at least four people, damaging about a dozen buildings and forcing a search for residents who may have been injured. injured or trapped by debris. At least nine people were injured.
The storm swept through the small town of about 600 residents as thousands in the area sweltering in a triple-digit heatwave that may not abate until July 4, and when other storms begin earlier. week creating deadly tornadoes and punishing hail across the South.
William Iwasko, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said a tornado warning was issued for Matador, about 300 miles northwest of Dallas, when the storm made landfall around 8 p.m. . He said the damage indicated it was “most likely” a tornado, but that was unconfirmed as of early Thursday morning.
“There are buildings that are completely flattened, but there are buildings that are completely flattened,” said Derek Delgado, a spokesman for the fire department in Lubbock, Texas, about 80 miles away, which is assisting with search and rescue operations in Matador. restaurant with its walls swept away. “Painful.”
Officials said on Thursday morning that all of Matador’s residents had been counted, and authorities were making sure no one else passed when the storm hit.
Sgt said it was unclear how many people were left homeless. Johnny Bures of the Texas Department of Public Safety, but he added that many may have family nearby. “It’s a tight-knit community,” he said. “Everybody knows everyone.”
Matador is without power, Mr. Bures said, adding that power is expected to be restored Friday or Saturday night. More than 200,000 homes and businesses lost power across Texas early Thursday morning following a series of storms this week. according to tracking site PowerOutage.us.
Matador’s mayor, Pat Smith, who also provides emergency medical services in the town, said in a brief phone interview late Wednesday that there had been “a lot of damage”. He said several businesses and homes had been destroyed at the western end of town, adding that rescuers had pulled people out of collapsed houses.
“Really, really bad,” Mr. Smith said when he heard emergency crews shouting directions in the back.
Footage of Matador posted on Twitter by Jacob Rileya meteorologist for the Lubbock KLBK broadcaster, showed emergency workers moving through an area with many leveling works.
The storm that hit Matador was part of a system that hit northern Texas and parts of Colorado with thunderstorms and hail. In Morrison, Colo., near Denver, a concert at the outdoor Red Rocks Amphitheater was delayed. postpone because of hail.
The video shows concertgoers fleeing for shelter as streams of ice and water tumble down the stairs and lightning flashes in the sky. Dozens injured and at least seven hospitalized, ABC affiliate Denver7 report.
Many parts of the region could see more severe weather again on Thursday, mainly scattered thunderstorms and possible damage with gusts of up to 60 mph, as well as hail and “severe” rain. ping pong ball”. Weather forecasters say the possibility of tornadoes cannot be ruled out, especially in parts of Colorado.
Last week, a tornado devastated the town Perryton, Texas, where three people were killed and dozens of mobile homes destroyed. That tornado was part of a series of violent storms that swept through the South.
Officials in Texas have asked residents to save electricity amid concerns that triple-digit temperatures for several days could overload the grid. In Oklahoma, Nearly 70,000 households and businesses are still without powermainly in the Tulsa region, after storms over the weekend left at least two people dead.
Judson Jones contribution report.
