Devastating Tornado Rips Through Texas City
Several dead and dozens injured in Perryton
A destructive tornado hit the Texas city of Perryton on Thursday, killing at least three people with many injured and being treated at hospitals, officials have confirmed.
The National Weather Service had issued a tornado warning earlier, amid a siege of storms in the Southern states. The city was experiencing destructive winds and heavy hailstorms since Wednesday morning.
Meteorologist Joe Puma tweeted the tornado marks the ‘first deadly kind’ in the Texas Panhandle in almost two decades.
While Perryton officials have confirmed three people were killed in the storm, more than 50 have been hospitalized. Injuries being reported consist of cuts and bruises while some patients are said to be in critical condition.
Perryton, which is home to more than 8,000 people, has faced extensive damage with many mobile homes and businesses completely destroyed in the wreckage.
District 87 State Representative, Republican Four Price said on social media, “ Please keep the Perryton community in your prayers. I've spoken to the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) and Governor Abbott’s office. They are mobilizing resources right now. TDEM is moving everything that way. Search and Rescue, medical, etc. Many structures are damaged. This is a serious situation. Again, please lift that community up in prayer.”
The tornado in Perryton is part of a huge trail of extreme weather conditions as reported by the National Weather Service, which is swiftly moving through the Southern regions. Most of them are in Oklahoma and Texas, however, a few are being reported in Ohio and Florida too.
According to officials, a scattering of severe storms is expected for the weekend as well.
