1 Dead as tornadoes strike Texas, Oklahoma
Washington, Mar 22 (EFE).- At least one person was killed when a score of tornadoes struck the south-central United States, while tens of thousands of homes and businesses were without electricity Tuesday.
Authorities in Grayson County, Texas, about 100 km (60 mi) north of Dallas, said that a 73-year-old died in the storm that destroyed her home Monday night.
In Jacksboro, Texas, northwest of Fort Worth, classes were suspended for the rest of the week after a tornado caused extensive damage to school facilities, though District Superintendent Brad Burnett said that no one was injured.
“We’re just very blessed to have facilities that were designed to sustain a storm, the storm damage that we received,” he told WFAA television in Dallas.
The principal of Jacksboro High School, Starla Sanders, told media outlets that she allowed roughly 300 students who had vehicles to leave early Monday afternoon as the weather turned threatening, while the rest of the students and the school staff sheltered inside.
The tornado ripped the roof off the school’s gymnasium.
Four people were trapped when a building collapsed in Bowie, Texas, some 180 km (112 mi) north of Dallas, but none of them suffered serious injuries, local officials said.
More than 65,000 customers in Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas woke up Tuesday to find they had no electricity, according to the website PowerOutage.us.
The National Weather Service predicted additional severe weather on Tuesday as the system that spawned the tornadoes moved eastward into Louisiana and Mississippi.
“Tornadoes, some of which should be strong, and potentially widespread damaging winds will be the most impactful hazards,” the NWS said. EFE jab/dr
