We’re constantly trying to reinforce the importance of storm safety, and this past week is a prime example of why. Not only did storms wreak havoc on several areas, causing significant and costly damage, they also took several lives.
On Thursday morning, two people were killed when an EF3 tornado touched down in Ruston, Louisiana. And in Texas on Wednesday, a mother and two children were killed due to severe flooding.
If you’re not familiar with the scale used to classify the intensity of tornadoes, an EF3 is quite strong. It includes winds between 136-165 miles per hour and can cause severe damage to anything in its path.
In the early hours of Thursday, one such tornado hit the small, north-central Louisiana city of Ruston. It tore through the town and the Louisiana Tech University campus around 2:30 a.m. before causing two fatalities.
A mother and her son became victims of the storm when the tornado caused a tree to fall on their home. Ruston Mayor Ronny Walker confirmed the deaths and described the situation as “bad, real bad.” The town, he said, “took a direct hit.”
Thursday classes were canceled at Louisiana Tech.
In Texas, the same cluster of storms brought severe flooding, a derailed train, and even more destruction.
In Erath County, about 75 miles southwest of Fort Worth, rushing flood waters claimed the lives of three. A family’s car got caught in the flood, leading to the death of a mother and two children.
Rescuers called to the scene found the woman’s husband hanging onto a tree. He was taken to a nearby hospital, though the rest of the family did not make it. The woman’s body was found inside the vehicle and their 7-year-old son was found about 400 yards away. They also had a 3-year-old daughter that was discovered three miles downstream.
The train derailment did not result in any human casualties. However, the fire it caused did lead to the deaths of three horses.
