ASHLEY TERRY
North Texas communities are reeling from the effects of a severe storm this past weekend that left six people injured and two dead, including one in Springtown and another in Runaway Bay.
According to the National Weather Service, two tornadoes touched down in North Texas Saturday night, April 25 — one in Parker County and one in Wise County. The NWS confirmed the Runaway Bay tornado, which was rated an EF-2, had peak winds of 135 mph and the EF-1 tornado in Springtown had estimated peak winds of 105 mph.
While these two communities faced the brunt of the storm damage, Azle was not entirely spared from its own post-storm challenges — some of which remained in effect Monday morning.
According to a social media post, Cross Timbers Elementary School was forced to close Monday, April 27, due to a power outage caused by the weekend storms. The post said the campus only had partial power and was not fully operational. Although utility crews worked to restore power over the weekend, Tri-County Electric Cooperative was unable to provide an estimated restoration time due to the severity of the storm damage across the area.
Amanda Moore, director of communications for the Azle Independent School District, told The Azle News that other than Cross Timbers, there was “no building damage” and “nothing major” to report across other campuses. However, she said AISD is working to clean up storm debris and address a few minor roof leaks.
Separate from the school district, city officials reported several roadway impacts following the storm. Assistant Fire Chief Lee Godbold told The Azle News Monday morning that South Stewart Street was down to one lane Saturday night, while Silver Creek Road and Scotland Avenue were temporarily closed due to downed trees. He added that all roads were back open by Sunday morning.
Godbold said many homes in Golden Pond Estates also suffered damage to their shingles and Cross Timbers Golf Course was forced to close all its facilities Sunday due to no power and tree damage from the storm.
“The golf course clubhouse had a large limb go down on top of it, but they were able to get it cleaned off the roof,” he said. “The golf course had a lot of trees down … They were out there working diligently yesterday to get all the trees cleaned up so they could get the fairways back open.”
Although normal business hours at the golf course resumed Monday, April 27, the driving range remained closed, and play was limited to cart-path only.
“Outside of the clubhouse, no governmental buildings received any damage. Everything is back up and running,” Godbold said.
While many homeowners will still be faced with the task of calling their insurance companies to report any damage, Godbold said as of now, the town of Azle is basically “back to normal.”
Springtown Mayor issues disaster declaration
Azle’s neighbor to the northwest didn’t fare as well. Residential and commercial properties were damaged, and debris — largely from extensive tree destruction — was scattered throughout the area necessitating that emergency crews work throughout the night to respond.
David Pruitt, assistant fire chief for Parker County Emergency Services District No. 1, said debris in roadways initially slowed response times as crews navigated impacted areas.
“The biggest challenge was all the debris in the roadways,” said Pruitt.
As emergency crews began clearing debris, Pruitt said community members also stepped in to help.
“It was really amazing to see the community together, neighbors helping one another,” he said.
City officials reported that most major roadways were cleared of debris and power lines by 2 a.m. Sunday.
Cooling centers were also opened Sunday at local churches and the American Red Cross established an overnight shelter for residents without power at First United Methodist Church in Springtown.
Mayor Mike Kelley issued a disaster declaration following the storm.
“The City stands ready to take any and all actions necessary to assist residents with cleanup and repairs,” Kelley said in a public statement. “To support these efforts, I have issued a disaster declaration, which will position our community to access any disaster relief funding that may become available at the state or federal level.”
