LA VERNIA, Texas – It was a day off work for some people living in Wilson County near La Vernia. However, they spent it cleaning up the mess left behind by Wednesday morning's strong thunderstorm.
"All of a sudden you could see the lightning come up and then that's when you saw the trees all falling down around 5:15," Lynette Cudworth said.
Great Oaks Boulevard neighbors went house by house to clear the damage from downed trees, which included vehicle and structure damage.
Elizabeth Fiscus described the storm as fast and furious. She acted quickly for the safety of her family.
"It was raining really bad. Next thing we know, it started hailing," Fiscus said. "We looked outside, we got all our kids out of our room, put them in the hallway and closed all the doors."
Although people who live in the area said they believe a tornado rolled through, a spokesman for the National Weather Service said only a severe thunderstorm with strong winds has been confirmed.
People who spent hours cleaning up the mess said they're not only grateful to have each other but homes that are still livable. One woman said she lost an entire group of chickens living in a coop in her yard.