NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) – Many North Texans spent the day Wednesday cleaning up from Tuesday’s tornado outbreak.
Tornadoes were confirmed in the Arlington/Kennedale area, along with ones in Lancaster and Forney.
Wednesday afternoon the National Weather Service confirmed a total of 11 tornadoes had touched down with the addition of an EF-1 tornado near Joshua in Johnson County and an EF-2 tornado in Royse City at the Rockwall/Hunt County line.
The tornado that hit Forney has been estimated as the largest, at EF-3.
The NWS is still estimating a total of 13 tornadoes touched down Tuesday.
>>See the full Public Information Statement from the NWS here<<
Forney confirmed 95 homes were damaged in Tuesday’s storms. 16 of the homes have been deemed unsafe. The Diamond Creek subdivision will still be under a curfew Wednesday night from 10:00 p.m. until 6:00 a.m. Thursday. The city says more than 500 volunteers have offered their assistance with food and supply donations and with cleanup efforts.
Anyone who needs additional information from Forney can find it at cityofforney.org.
Lancaster announced Wednesday night that they are accepting donations of non-perishable food, toiletries, baby food and diapers to Lancaster High School’s indoor practice facility at Tiger Stadium. The facility is located at 200 E. Wintergreen.
The city also announced it is still offering food and shelter at the Lancaster Recreation Center for displaced residents.
The city released a map showing the area that is still deemed as unsafe. These areas will still be monitored and no one is allowed access until further safety steps can be performed:
Wednesday evening Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins signed a Declaration of Emergency for Dallas County for the Lancaster and South Dallas areas hit by Tuesday’s tornado. Governor Perry announced Wednesday he will be touring the area.
Anyone who needs addition information on Lancaster can find it at lancaster-tx.com.
Kennedale is reporting a citywide curfew from 8:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m. until further notice. The city has blocked off an area from Tower Drive, Wildcat Way and Parkview Trail, east to Fawn Meadow Drive and Greenview Lane. Kennedale officials say no one will be allowed in the blockaded area.
The city and the Red Cross are still operating a shelter at the Kennedale Community Center at 316 West Third Street.
Kennedale officials also are asking for volunteers who can provide and operate small to medium sized equipment such as chainsaws and Bobcats. For more information, check out cityofkennedale.com.
Arlington has established a Tornado Recovery Center for residents impacted by Tuesday’s tornado.
The city says 430 homes in Arlington were damaged. The center is located at the Arlington Fire Department Fire Training Center at 5501 Ron McAndrew Drive.
City services, including Oncor, are on hand to assist with recovery efforts from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. until the services are no longer needed.
Arlington has also created a page on the city’s website with the latest tornado information at arlingtontx.gov/tornado.
St. Barnabas United Methodist Church, a church heavily damaged by Tuesday’s tornado, is putting together a team of volunteers to clean up neighboring yards Saturday morning. If you are needing assistance, they are asking you call them at (817) 505-5154.
The church announced they will hold a sunrise service in front of their building at 7:00 a.m. Sunday morning to celebrate Easter. Their traditional service will be held at 10:00 a.m. Sunday at Martin High School.
For a list of additional resources, check out our list of Ways To Help Or Get Help.
