Tornado victims in DFW area clean up

Weekend storms kill 11, destroy hundreds of homes

GARLAND, Texas – Residents in the Dallas-Fort Worth area returned home Monday to salvage what they could after a killer tornado devastated the area.

The cleanup was a slow and painful process for residents in Garland, where eight people were killed in Saturday's EF-4 tornado. Residents found that not much was left of the place they once called home. They found roofs ripped, windows shattered, trees uprooted and vehicles destroyed.

John Lambert was out of town when the tornado hit. He returned Monday to find his home was gone.

"It's demolished. You walk up, no windows, no nothing. Everything is gutted," Lambert said. "The roof is gone. My truck is destroyed, my trailer is destroyed. But it's material things."

Residents at an apartment complex where KSAT 12 News reporter Bill Barajas visited with said they jumped in bath tubs and covered themselves up with mattresses to protect themselves from the storm and the debris.

The nearby town of Rowlett was also hit hard. The tornado left 23 people injured. Neighborhoods on Monday were blocked off.


About the Authors:

David Ibañez has been managing editor of KSAT.com since the website's launch in October 2000.

Reporter, proud Houstonian, U of H alumni, and lover of all the hometown sport teams.