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U.S. NEWS Tuesday 22 OcTOber 2019

Tornado slams Dallas; 4 killed in Arkansas, Oklahoma

By JAMIE STENGLE and JAKE Memphis International Air-
BLEIBERG port in Tennessee, where
Associated Press windows were broken.
DALLAS (AP) — A tornado One person died when a
tossed trees into homes, tree fell on a home in Rog-
tore off storefronts and ers, Arkansas, about 150
downed power lines but miles (240 kilometers) north-
killed no one in a densely west of Little Rock, accord-
populated area of Dallas, ing to the Benton County
leaving Mayor Eric Johnson Department of Public
to declare the city "very for- Safety. In northeastern Ar-
tunate" to be assessing only kansas, an EF-1 tornado
property damage. injured at least five people
A meteorologist said Mon- in Tyronza. Authorities said
day that people took shel- severe thunderstorms were
ter thanks to early alerts, responsible for the deaths
and that it was fortunate of at least three people in
the tornado struck Sunday eastern Oklahoma.
evening, when many peo- Oklahoma State Bureau of
ple were home. Investigation spokeswom-
"Anytime you have a torna- an Brooke Arbeitman said
do in a major metropolitan two teenage boys died of
area, the potential for large carbon monoxide poison-
loss of life is always there," ing late Sunday in Weleet-
said Patrick Marsh, the Women stand outside a house damaged by a tornado in the Preston Hollow section of Dallas, ka, about 80 miles (130 kilo-
warning coordination me- Monday, Oct. 21, 2019. meters) east of Oklahoma
teorologist at the National Associated Press City. She said the 14- and
Oceanic and Atmospheric eral states, killing at least mattress over top, huddling around them. They later 15-year-old boys were us-
Administration's Storm Pre- four people in Arkansas there with their 8-month-old found parts of street and ing a portable gas genera-
diction Center in Norman, and Oklahoma. The Storm son. "We just sat in the bath- shopping center signs that tor in a travel trailer after the
Oklahoma. "We were very Prediction Center said se- tub and sang songs, trying had been blown into their storms knocked out power.
fortunate that the tornado vere thunderstorms could to keep everyone calm," yard. "It hit really fast," he The father of the younger
did not hit the Dallas Cow- continue through Monday Lauren Collins said. said. Dallas Fire-Rescue boy discovered their bod-
boys' stadium or the State night along the Gulf Coast At a nearby shopping cen- spokesman Jason Evans ies Monday morning.
Fair, where you would have from southeast Louisiana ter, the fronts and roofs of said no firefighters were Another person died late
had a lot of people that to the Florida Panhandle, stores were ripped away. hurt when the storm made Sunday night when a tree
were exposed." with damaging winds and Ruptured pipes were still the roof of Station 41 col- blew onto a mobile home
The tornado crossed over a couple of tornadoes pos- spewing water Monday lapse. near Valliant, about 170
two major interstates. "If sible. morning, drenching the Tornadoes are not com- miles (275 kilometers) south-
that happened at rush In one Dallas neighbor- piles of mangled drywall, mon in October, and cities east of Oklahoma City,
hour, I think we'd be talking hood, Dustin and Lauren insulation and steel framed are rarely hit because they emergency management
about a different story," he Collins said they felt lucky inside the brick building. don't have a big footprint in officials said.
said. as they cleared debris from Nearby, Georges Benam- the tornado belt, accord- In Memphis, Tennessee,
The National Weather Ser- the yard of their largely in- ou said he was in his bed- ing to tornado scientist Har- the storm downed several
vice said the tornado that tact home. room when a tree branch old Brooks of the National large trees, blocking roads
ripped through North Dal- "When other people's fell through the flat roof of Severe Storms Laboratory. in residential neighbor-
las was an EF-3, which has homes are in your front his single-story home and It's like "randomly throwing hoods. The federal weather
a maximum wind speed yard, you just realize — into the living room. darts," Brooks said. agency confirmed an EF-1
of 140 mph (225 kph). The just the magnitude of the "I heard some crack, crack, A study by Brooks last year tornado was on the ground
agency said another torna- storm," said Lauren Collins, crack, and then I heard found that only one-third of for about two minutes
do in the suburb of Rowlett 36. some trees falling on top of the most violent tornadoes early Monday morning.
was EF-1, with maximum Dustin Collins, 37, said he the roof," he said. hit communities of more An apartment complex
wind speeds of 100 mph gathered his family togeth- Brent Huddleston, 43, said than 5,000 people. and car dealerships and
(160 kph). er after receiving the torna- he sheltered with his 9- and The storm system disrupted other businesses suffered
The late-night storms do alert. They climbed into 11-year-old children in a flights in the Dallas area, damage, but no injuries or
spawned tornadoes in sev- the bathtub and pulled a closet as the house shook northwest Arkansas and at deaths were reported.q