DALLAS (abc24.com) - More than 300 buildings are damaged and a dozen destroyed in the wake of powerful tornadoes near Dallas, Texas.
Twisters tore through populated suburban neighborhoods on Tuesday, April 3. The town of Lancaster was one of the hardest hit places. The National Weather Service survey team assessed damage areas Wednesday and determined at times, winds were greater than 150 miles per hour.
A supercell moved through the Kennedale and Arlington areas producing an EF-2 tornado. In Lancaster, a different storm produced an EF-2 tornado with winds of 130 miles per hour. An EF-3 tornado with winds of 140 miles per hour hit Forney, TX.
Jud Ladd, Meteorologist at the Southern Region Headquarters in Fort Worth, says, "The homes that we see in the Kennedale and Arlington area, those are well built homes. Some of those received extensive damage, if not complete destruction."
At least 18 people are injured, but no one died as a result of the twisters. Dallas County residents had at least 20 minutes to get to safety from when the tornado warning was issued.
"Looking at the population of the metro and where those storms moved across is just amazing to me that there were no deaths and a low injury count," says Ladd.
The Dallas-Fort Worth Airport cancelled 400 flights and while the airport wasn't directly hit, golf ball sized hail damaged 110 planes.
An advanced warning doesn't matter if you don't have a safe place to go. In the Mid-South, many homes don't have basements, but there are alternatives.
TSW Storm Shelters, a Memphis-based company, installs tornado shelters at your home. The largest shelter can fit up to 12 people inside. They range in price from $5400 to $6200 installed.
Jim Belles, NWS Meteorologist, says, "I think people need to be on guard in this part of the country. To be honest, there is not a month in the Mid-South when you're out of the threat for tornadoes."
