Texas tornado warning: Video shows Walmart shoppers being dragged as South now faces flooding
Several areas of the southern US are under tornado watch alerts
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A storm system that passed through Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama overnight spawning multiple tornadoes left at least one person dead and 19 hospitalised.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott called the destruction “devastating”, and said it was a “miracle” that more people were not killed immediately.
Several videos and pictures captured on Monday night showed powerful tornadoes cause massive damage to RVs, houses and schools with one video showing a truck driver having near escape after getting tossed into air.
Another video also showed a tornado approaching a Walmart in Round Rock, not far from Austin, which forced customers to flee the oncoming twister.
At least one person was injured when they were dragged across the parking lot, according to footage.
An estimated 22 million people remained at risk of coming into the path of severe storms moving toward the north east on Tuesday.
‘Volatile’ tornado outbreak ruins buildings, grounds flights and shuts highways in Texas and Oklahoma
‘Worst storm of 2022’ threatens half the US with blizzards, tornadoes and flooding- Shoppers sprint for shelter inside Texas Walmart as tornado rips through parking lot
Wild video shows pickup truck being tossed by Texas tornado before landing upright and driving off
One person dead in Texas tornadoes - report
A person has been reported dead in the Sherwood Shores areas of Grayson County, according to TV station KTEN quoting local officials.
The number of injuries in the storm that hit Texas on Monday has also risen, with at least seven people rushed to hospitals.
The county was under a “severe thunderstorm warning” from 7.17 pm to 8.00 pm on Monday and an emergency shelter was opened at at First Baptist Church in Whitesboro for those who would be impacted by the storm.
NWS issue warning for significant flash flooding till Tuesday
Southeast regions are bracing for “significant flash flood and severe weather” until Tuesday with rain of 3-5 inches contributing flooding.
“There is a flood and severe weather risk Wednesday with less widespread and significant impacts expected,” the NWS predicted.
There is also substantial risk of heavy wind gusts, hail, and frequent lightening, meteorologists said.
The weather service in Houston said that parts of Texas can receive rain up to four inches through Tuesday evening with possible street flooding in some areas.
Aerial video shows tornado ripping roofs and uprooting trees
Aerial video captured of the storm sweeping through a neighbourhood in Elgin, about 25 miles east of Austin, shows a wild tornado ripping roofs and walls off structures in the area.
The video captured by storm chaser Brian Emfinger showed the winds uprooting big trees and tossing them.
Powerful tornadoes are shown pounding the area, with debris seen being thrown into the air
Sharing the video, NSW New Orleans said the video is the example how mobile home is not a safe space during a tornado.
“The mobile home is completely destroyed while the single family home later in the video experiences damage, but is not destroyed. One scenario is survivable, and the other is not.” it added.
Schools damaged in Jacksboro, Texas
In Jacksboro, a town bout 60 miles northwest of Fort Worth, the worst of the damage was on North Main Street on Monday night.
Two schools, the Jacksboro high school and elementary school, were badly damaged by the tornados with roofs blown away, according to KXAS. Images also showed damage the high school gym.
FEMA mobile homes classed as government property
Almost 2,000 households were living in temporary mobile homes from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) when the storms hit the southern US on Monday night and Tuesday morning.
The homes, which were installed following hurricanes Laura, Delta and Ida between 2020 and 2021, are classed as government property and cannot be removed, FEMA states.
FEMA has also advised anybody living in state-owned temporary housing to keep their mobile phones fully charged and switched on to keep informed.
Video shows people fleeing Walmart outside Austin
Customers of a Walmart in Round Rock, a suburb of Austin, Texas, were forced to flee oncoming tornadoes on Monday as storms approached the city.
One video seen on social media showed the tornadoes approaching the Round Rock Walmart parking lot, with people shouting “run, run, run, run”. Debris could also be seen flying through the air.
Another customer meanwhile said she was “dragged across the Walmart parking lot” by storms winds, and shared images of her injuries on Twitter.
Texans flee for cover as tornado touches down in Round Rock
Texas locals were forced to find cover as a "volatile" tornado ripped through the state on Monday.Twisters touched down in the towns of Jacksboro, Luling and Round Rock, while also hitting Oklahoma, damaging multiple homes and buildings, including a school and an animal shelter. Footage shared on social media shows a number of people standing at the door of a Walmart as the tornado touches down close to the car park. Those watching are then forced to dive inside as debris kicked up by the twister fly around in front of them.Click here to sign up to our newsletters.
Warnings still in place for southern US
The National Weather Service (NWS) has continued to issue warnings of further storm winds and tornadoes on Tuesday morning, with an area stretching from coastal and southeast Texas into much of western and northern Louisiana still at risk.
In an update on Tuesday, the NWS storm prediction centre said “damaging winds” and “isolated” tornadoes were still possible, and that the situation could change.
As are parts of the lower Mississippi Valley at risk of severe thunderstorms, hail, strong winds and isolated tornadoes into Tuesday.
Rain falls on Austin amid flash flood warning
The Austin metro area was under a flood alerting warning on Tuesday morning following tornadoes and strong winds overnight.
The National Weather Service said flash flooding was possible south and east of Austin, with low lying and urban areas most at risk.
People were advised to remain alert and to “move to higher ground if you hear of flood warnings”.
Reports meanwhile said 3.5 inches of rain have fallen.
Three states under flood watch until Tuesday evening
The National Weather Service in Memphis has issued a warning for flooding into Tuesday evening for western Tennessee and eastern Arkansas into northern Mississippi.
The warning states that two to four inches of rain will likely lead to the “flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations. Flooding may occur in poor drainage and urban areas.“
“You should monitor later forecasts and be alert for possible Flood Warnings,” the warning adds. “Those living in areas prone to flooding should be prepared to take action should flooding develop.”
Active tornado watch in parts of Texas and Louisiana
A tornado watch is in effect for parts of southeastern Texas and Louisiana until 2pm local time on Tuesday, the National Weather Service said.
It comes as several other states brace for heavy rains that could bring flash flooding.
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