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U.S. NEWS A3
Monday 28 December 2015

At least 11 die in Texas tornadoes; 5 in Illinois flooding

Damage of home buildings is seen after Saturday’s tornado in Barineau said the tornado centimeters) of snow in drifts more than 7 feet (2.1
Garland, Texas, Sunday, Dec. 27, 2015. At least 11 people died hit about 6:45 p.m. across West Texas, much of New meters) high have been re-
and dozens were injured in apparently strong tornadoes that an area of 2 square miles Mexico and parts of north- ported.
swept through the Dallas area and caused substantial damage (5.2 square kilometers). At west Oklahoma through A southwestern Illinois coro-
this weekend. least three people who Sunday evening, accord- ner said three adults and
died were found in vehi- ing to NWS meteorologist two children drowned
(G.J. McCarthy/Dallas Morning News via AP) cles, said Barineau. Brendon Rubin-Oster in Col- when the vehicle they
Three other people died lege Park, Maryland. were riding in was swept
in Collin County, about Police in Albuquerque, away and sank in a rain-
45 miles (72.4 kilometers) New Mexico, said the snow swollen creek at about 7:30
northeast of Dallas, ac- caused 178 weather-relat- p.m. Saturday.
cording to sheriff’s deputy ed accidents by Saturday In the Southeast, two more
Chris Havey, although the night, with about 58 involv- deaths linked to weather
circumstances were not ing people with injuries. were reported Saturday
immediately clear. Officials also shut down in Mississippi, bringing that
On the other side of Texas, a stretch of Interstate 40 state’s death toll from se-
a snowstorm accompa- leading to the Texas border vere weather over Christ-
nied by plunging temper- because of hazardous driv- mas to 10. Late Saturday,
atures, was expected to ing conditions. The National one death was reported in
leave up to 16 inches (41 Weather Service said snow Alabama.q

DAVID WARREN time ... but it’s certainly not
Associated Press something that happens
GARLAND, Texas (AP) — At regularly.”
least 11 people died and In the town of Rowlett, City
dozens were injured in ap- Manager Brian Funderburk
parently strong tornadoes said Sunday morning that
that swept through the Dal- 23 people were injured, but
las area and caused sub- that there were no deaths
stantial damage this week- and no reports of missing
end, while five people died people. The weather ser-
in a flash flood in Illinois. vice said damage indicat-
It was the latest in a succes- ed it was likely an EF-3 tor-
sion of powerful weather nado, which has winds up
events across the country to 165 mph (266 kph).
— from heavy snow in New In some instances, it looked
Mexico, west Texas and the like homes had been
Oklahoma Panhandle — to picked up and set back
flash flooding in parts of the down in a big pile. State
Plains and Midwest. Days of troopers were blocking off
tumultuous weather have roads, utility crews were re-
led to 34 deaths overall — storing power and people
those in Texas and Illinois, walking around hushed
plus 18 total in Mississippi, and dazed.
Alabama, Tennessee and In nearby Garland, about
Arkansas. 20 miles (32 kilometers)
The full extent of dam- northeast of Dallas, Lt. Pe-
age along a nearly 40- dro Barineau said Sunday
mile (64-kilometer) stretch morning that eight people
near Dallas isn’t yet known, have died and 15 were in-
though there were re- jured. The weather service
ports of storms and tor- said it was an EF-4 tornado,
nadoes blowing the roofs which is the second-most
off homes, mangling vehi- powerful with winds up to
cles, damaging churches, more than 200 mph (320
downing power lines and kph).
toppling trees. “This is a huge impact on
National Weather Service our community and we’re
survey teams headed out all suffering,” he said of
Sunday to determine the Garland, where about 600
number and strength of structures were damaged,
the tornadoes. Meteorolo- the majority of which were
gist Matt Bishop says the single-family homes. “Driv-
tornado outbreak at this ing around the area, you
time of the year for North can see that it’s total dev-
Texas occurs “from time to astation.”