Tuesday, April 3rd 2012, 3:06 pm
BURLESON, Texas -- Heavy damage and more than a dozen injuries ranging from minor to severe have been reported after tornadoes and violent storms raked through the Dallas area.
The National Weather Service said at least two separate "large and extremely dangerous" tornadoes touched down in the Dallas-Fort Worth area Tuesday afternoon.
A tornado hit a trucking company in Lancaster, launching several semi trailers hundreds of feet into the air.
Officer Paul Beck of Lancaster says 10 people were injured. He says two of those injuries are severe but did not have further details.
The tornadoes then moved to the east to Rockwall, Kaufman and Hunt counties where heavy damage is also being reported late Tuesday afternoon.
The tornadoes have torn roofs off homes and left flattened tractor trailers along highways and parking lots.
Early this afternoon, video from highway cameras showed a large, dark funnel cloud on the ground, not far from a major interstate. A short time later, crumpled orange tractor trailers were visible in a Dallas County parking lot.
South of Dallas, television footage showed homes without roofs, and other buildings that were flattened. Residents could be seen walking down the street with firefighters and peering into damaged homes.
Video also showed semi trailers from a trucking company being thrown hundreds of feet in the air.
The weather service says the tornado south of Fort Worth caused "considerable damage" near Cleburne.
KTVT reported that the mayor of Arlington, Texas declared a state of disaster in his city.
KTVT also reported that 400 flights out of DFW were canceled on Tuesday and that 110 airplanes received hail or other damage from the weather. The airport is providing cots to stranded passengers.
Check Tulsa International Airport flights
A spokesperson for Tulsa International Airport said flights in and out of Tulsa are affected.
Softball-sized hail were reported in some areas of Texas and there are significant power outages.
A tornado also hit the town of Forney, on the east side of Dallas. The tornado reportedly hit Crosby Elementary School there.
April 3rd, 2012
September 29th, 2024
September 17th, 2024
December 4th, 2024
December 4th, 2024