Restaurant owner walks through his Matador Diner.Photo:Annie Rice/Avalanche-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK
Annie Rice/Avalanche-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK
A powerful tornado struck the small Texas town of Matador on Wednesday evening, killing at least four people and injuring ten others, according to local authorities.
Emergency crew members search through debris the morning after a tornado passed through Matador,.Annie Rice / USA TODAY NETWORK
Annie Rice / USA TODAY NETWORK
Matador Mayor Pat Smith toldCBS Newsthat the tornado destroyed about ten structures in the town of about 570 people – located 70 miles northeast of Lubbock in Motley County – noting crews were carrying away bodies and digging people out of the rubble.
The small town is one where “everybody knows everybody,” Brandon Moore, a volunteer firefighter as well as Matador’s water superintendent, told theAssociated Press.
The twister was part of multiple severe storms that brought large hail, strong winds, and flash flooding to parts of western and central Texas.
An overturned truck among the damage seen after a tornado through Matador.Mateo Rosiles / USA TODAY NETWORK
Mateo Rosiles / USA TODAY NETWORK
Matt Ziebell, senior forecaster with the National Weather Service in Lubbock, said a supercell developed near Amarillo around 8 p.m. on Wednesday before the winds started, per the AP.
“[It’s] certainly rare to see all at the same time, killer tornadoes, hurricane-force winds, and softball-sized hail,” Zeibell said, adding that it “was definitely a rare combination of high-end wind shear and storms of extreme instability.”
Police, fire, and EMS from across the South Plains joined forces to help with search and rescue efforts. At the same time, state resources arrived at the scene to begin post-disaster operations, such as damage assessment and final recovery efforts.
A United States flag displayed over the debris.Annie Rice / USA TODAY NETWORK
“We want to make sure no one was passing through town; that was our concern,” said Public Safety Sgt. Johnny Bures. “That’s what we’re really double-checking for.”
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Photos and videos on social media showed overturned vehicles, debris scattered across roads, and multiple damaged or destroyed buildings.
This was the second time a deadly tornado struck Texas in less than a week. Three people died, and dozens more were injured in the Texas Panhandle city of Perryton, about 180 miles north of Matador, on June 15, asPEOPLE previously reported.
source: people.com
