'We're going to keep on looking,' sheriff says

Posted by Unknown

Resident says she's been told power will be out three weeks At least 16 tornadoes touched down, National Weather Service says Doctor says some victims had to have amputations

Are you in the affected area? Send us your images and videos, but please stay safe.

(CNN) -- A North Texas community forged ahead in a massive cleanup, and the search for the missing continued Friday from 16 tornadoes that ripped through the area.

That search for seven people still missing is still active, a local sheriff said.

"We're going to keep on looking," Hood County Sheriff Roger Deeds said Thursday. "We're not going to give up until every piece of debris is turned over."

Tornado 'just set down' on neighborhood Mayor: Houses have nothing left but carpet .cnnArticleGalleryNav{border:1px solid #000;cursor:pointer;float:left;height:25px;text-align:center;width:25px} .cnnArticleGalleryNavOn{background-color:#C03;border:1px solid #000;float:left;height:25px;text-align:center;width:20px} .cnnArticleGalleryNavDisabled{background-color:#222;border:1px solid #000;color:#666;float:left;height:25px;text-align:center;width:25px} .cnnArticleExpandableTarget{background-color:#000;display:none;position:absolute} .cnnArticlePhotoContainer{height:122px;width:214px} .cnnArticleBoxImage{cursor:pointer;height:122px;padding-top:0;width:214px} .cnnArticleGalleryCaptionControl{background-color:#000;color:#FFF} .cnnArticleGalleryCaptionControlText{cursor:pointer;float:right;font-size:10px;padding:3px 10px 3px 3px} .cnnArticleGalleryPhotoContainer cite{background:none repeat scroll 0 0 #000;bottom:48px;color:#FFF;height:auto;left:420px;opacity:.7;position:absolute;width:200px;padding:10px} .cnnArticleGalleryClose{background-color:#fff;display:block;text-align:right} .cnnArticleGalleryCloseButton{cursor:pointer} .cnnArticleGalleryNavPrevNext span{background-color:#444;color:#CCC;cursor:pointer;float:left;height:23px;text-align:center;width:26px;padding:4px 0 0} .cnnArticleGalleryNavPrevNextDisabled span{background-color:#444;color:#666;float:left;height:23px;text-align:center;width:25px;padding:4px 0 0} .cnnVerticalGalleryPhoto{padding-right:68px;width:270px;margin:0 auto} .cnnGalleryContainer{float:left;clear:left;margin:0 0 20px;padding:0 0 0 10px} An upturned vehicle lies next to an uprooted tree on Thursday, May 16, in Granbury, Texas, after a tornado swept through the area. At least six people were killed in a string of tornadoes that struck overnight Wednesday in North Texas. An upturned vehicle lies next to an uprooted tree on Thursday, May 16, in Granbury, Texas, after a tornado swept through the area. At least six people were killed in a string of tornadoes that struck overnight Wednesday in North Texas. Debris from damaged homes litters a neighborhood in Granbury on Thursday, May 16. Rescue workers search through debris in Granbury, on May 16. A rescue worker sifts through rubble on May 16 in Granbury, southwest of Fort Worth. Rescue personnel pass remnants of destroyed houses in Granbury on May 16. There were reports of homes in Granbury being flattened with people inside. Pete Alaniz eyes damage to the garage of his Cleburne, Texas, rental home on May 16. At least 10 tornadoes touched down in northern Texas late Wednesday May 15, including this one in Millsap, west of Fort Worth. The living room of a Cleburne home is left without a roof on May 16. An antique car sits in a collapsed garage on May 16 in Granbury. Eva Zapata, left, waits with a relative, Dario Segura, on May 15 for news of her children, who live in the Granbury neighborhood of Rancho Brazos. Six of the storm victims came from that subdivision, the Hood County sheriff said. John Bouyer collects a refrigerator on May 16 that blew away from his sister-in-law's home in Granbury. A trailer rests against a garage in Cleburne on May 16 after being blown into a house. Tornadoes hit North Texas Tornadoes hit North Texas Tornadoes hit North Texas Tornadoes hit North Texas Tornadoes hit North Texas Tornadoes hit North Texas Tornadoes hit North Texas Tornadoes hit North Texas Tornadoes hit North Texas Tornadoes hit North Texas Tornadoes hit North Texas Tornadoes hit North Texas HIDE CAPTION << < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 > >> Photos: Tornadoes hit North Texas Photos: Tornadoes hit North Texas

The seven-hour onslaught of twisters, 16 confirmed so far according to the National Weather Service, battered the area Wednesday, turning neighborhoods into rubble and leaving six people dead.

Survey teams for the National Weather Service were scheduled to be in the area Friday to continue assessing the damage.

A survey team found damage indicating at least one EF4 tornado had struck. That is the second-most severe classification on a scale of zero to five.

Hardest-hit city

That tornado stuck Granbury, a city 30 miles southwest of Fort Worth, ripping homes clean off their foundations and decimating a neighborhood.

All the deaths occurred in that neighborhood of about 110 homes, many of which were built by Habitat for Humanity. Most of the homes in the Rancho Brazos subdivision were destroyed or damaged, the sheriff said.

How to help or find help

The victims were identifed as Jose Tovar Alvarez, 34; Marjari Davis, thought to be 82; Tommy Martin, 61; Leo Stefanski, 83; and Robert and Glenda Whitehead, Deeds said.

Three people were taken to an area hospital, and 13 others were taken to hospitals in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, authorities said.

Some of the patients had to have amputations, said Dr. Kerri Sistrunk, head of the trauma unit at Lake Granbury Medical Center. Others suffered head injuries and open fractures, as well as minor abrasions, she said.

Fortunate to be alive

And for many, Friday will be another day of waiting to get back to their damaged homes to see what remains.

Ronna Cotten said she was told that she can't re-enter her subdivision to "check to see if we have any belongings left" for at least two days, maybe as many as seven.

Power is expected to be down for the next three weeks, Cotten said she was told. She stayed in the home of a woman who picked her up from a rescue center Wednesday night and worked the phones Thursday trying to find hotel rooms for her family.

She still considers herself fortunate. The mother of four said she survived the furious storm by clutching to a doorknob as winds tore through her home.

"I feel very lucky because we are alive," she said

{ 0 comments... read them below or add one }

Post a Comment