The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Tornado slams Dallas; four killed in Arkansas, Oklahoma
A tornado tore homes and businesses apart in a densely populated area of Dallas, where only minor injuries were reported, but four people were killed in Arkansas and Oklahoma as a late-night series of storms caused chaos in several states.
Radar confirmed the tornado struck near Dallas Love Field Airport around 9 p.m. Sunday, said National Weather Service meteorologist Jason Godwin. There were no reports of fatalities or serious injuries in Texas on Monday, but Fire-Rescue spokesman Jason Evans says three people were hospitalized for evaluation of injuries that were not life-threatening.
Tens of thousands of people were without electricity. Dallas Love Field spokesman Chris Perry said the airport was not damaged in the storm.
Tornado warnings were in effect Monday morning in far eastern Arkansas near the Mississippi River as the storm system moved to the east.
The Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma, says areas of Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee could see severe thunderstorms later Monday.
Dallas-based radio station KNON-FM was knocked off the air when the studio suffered major damage from the tornado. Lew Morris, one of the hosts of “Reckless Rock Radio,” told The Associated Press that the power went out first, followed by the “distinctive whistle” of a tornado within three minutes.
He and another radio show host sheltered in the bathroom.
“We then heard the building shaking and could hear the glass windows shattering everywhere along with debris banging around. We waited until all the noise died down,” Morris said. “We walked out to see the studio he was just broadcasting from destroyed.”
Addressing a news conference Monday morning, Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson said the city was lucky this time.
“I think we should consider ourselves very fortunate that we did not lose any lives — no fatalities and no serious injuries — in last night’s storms. I think we should all be very grateful for that,” Johnson said.
October tornadoes are not common, and cities are rarely hit, according to tornado scientist Harold Brooks of the National Severe Storms Laboratory in Norman, Oklahoma.
A study by Brooks last year found that only one-third of the most violent tornadoes hit communities of more than 5,000 people. The Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex has been hit at least three times in the last 25 years, he said.
NWS meteorologist Jennifer Dunn said there may have been two or more tornadoes in north Texas but said the extent wouldn’t be known until later Monday, when crews have surveyed the damage.
Dallas Fire-Rescue said one of its stations sustained significant damage during the storms overnight, posting photos on Twitter that show a collapsed roof and debris. Evans said no firefighters at Station 41 were hurt, but that high winds tore the roof off.