HOME / NEWS / HUMAN INTEREST

'It looks like a war zone': Powerful tornado hits small town in Texas leaving 2 dead and over 10 injured

Robert Flores, a local adult man, 42, and a young girl were recognized as the two people who died

LAGUNA HEIGHTS, TEXAS: As many as two people died and at least 11 others were injured after a powerful tornado struck a small Texas town close to its southern border around 4 am on Saturday, May 13. According to the National Weather Service, the tornado made landfall near Laguna Heights in the Rio Grande Valley causing extensive damage. Robert Flores, a local adult man, 42, and a young girl were recognized as the two people who died.

Officials in Port Isabel reported that rescue and search efforts were still active at 9 am. There were power disruptions as a result of damage to buildings and power cables. Highway 100 near FM 510 was closed, but one of the lanes opened again around 11.30 am. Those attempting to get to Port Isabel or leave the vicinity can also utilize Highway 48 from Brownsville, reported Fox26. The Port Isabel Event & Cultural Center has opened a shelter.

READ MORE

'We thought we were dead': Survivors describe horror as death toll rises to 32 after Midwest, South tornadoes

What is Enhanced Fujita scale? EF-2 tornadoes cause massive damages across US

'It looks like a war zone'

The widely circulated social media posts demonstrated the emergency services' overwhelming presence at the scene. One could see the roofs of houses and other structures over the front yards and streets. Catherine Valdez took a car to Laguna Heights to pick up her brother, whose house had been completely damaged by the tornado. "It looks like a war zone. My brother’s window blew in and hit him in the face, he is quite shocked and his dog was so shocked too. I can’t believe this happened. He’s lost everything, his house, his belongings, but thank God he’s still alive," Valdez told Valley Central. She's urging other locals to stay away from the area since it's completely damaged. "Tell them to be very careful. It was 5.00 am when I picked up my brother. Debris and power lines down everywhere. I almost drove through a halfway-down power line."

A terrifying video from Friday recorded the moment a strong tornado sped along a Nebraska roadway and perilously approached driving vehicles. The horrific storm was one of at least two dozen tornadoes that blasted through Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Montana, and Louisiana. The enormous twister can be seen growing along the Nebraska Freeway before closing in on incoming cars in video footage. The frightening spiral maelstrom can be seen from within inches of the highway as motorists make attempts to drive past it.

'So odd to be in the mountains!'

A user from Montana took to Twitter and a stunning video of a tornado writing, "A tornado over the Rockies here in Montana, about 20 miles from where I live. So crazy. What a trip." Many users responded to the video in shock with one person commenting, "They said there's going to be crazy weather almost everywhere." Another user wrote, "Wow I’ve never seen a tornado on a mountain." "Oh my god! So odd to be in the mountains! We supposedly had a funnel cloud here today along the foothills. Weird weather." noted a user. One user from Nebraska posted a picture of the weather and wrote, "Yesterday’s large wedge tornado near Spalding, Nebraska What a day!"

'Never seen this before'

One person shared another stunning video and wrote, "The most intense Dominator #tornado intercept yet" "Tornado on the Rockies, near Big Fork, Montana. Whoa! I thought tornadoes couldn't form on high mountain chains? Never seen this before, any comments?" Another individual posted a video of a tornado to the east of Newell and noted in their caption, "Large multivortex tornado east of Newell earlier." A user shared his close encounter with a tornado and mentioned, "Incredible multi vortex tornado moments ago just before it crossed the road in front of me. Just missed a home to the west less than 100 yards with damage to large trees." Some users shared a video showing the impact of the severe weather and said, "Check out the holes in the road from Dominator 3 spike deployment ahead of #tornado impact yesterday."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.