Irving tornado: EF-1 twister heavily damages apartments, businesses; neighborhood evacuated
Confirmed EF-1 tornado in Irving
A brief EF-1 tornado was part of the storm that heavily damaged apartment buildings and businesses. It brought down several power lines and trees.
IRVING, Texas - A brief EF-1 tornado was part of the storm that heavily damaged apartment buildings and businesses. It brought down several power lines and trees.
A neighborhood was evacuated, and people are being asked to avoid the area because of the damage.
Despite all the damage, police say there were no major injuries.
School closings, delays: Storms affect North Texas school districts
Severe storms in North Texas forced some school districts to delay the start of class or completely close their doors on Tuesday.
Confirmed Tornado in Irving
The National Weather Service confirmed a brief EF-1 tornado touched down in Irving on Tuesday morning.
By the numbers:
Winds topped out at 110 miles per hour, with a path length of 0.42 miles and a width of 85 yards.
Irving Storm Damage
Parts of an Irving apartment complex roof collapses, temporary shelters set up
The apartment complex is on Pioneer Dr. There are roof issues and structural issues because of the hurricane-force winds and severe weather. Some residents are being evacuated. FOX 4's Payton May has details.
What we know:
An apartment complex on West Pioneer and North O’Connor had a partial collapse during Tuesday morning’s storms. Police say they had no reported injuries.
Roughly 350 people were evacuated from the area. That includes two apartment complexes and several homes.
Power was knocked out for thousands.
DeZavala Middle School, which is also in the area, was closed for the day. Firefighters deemed it unsafe for students because of downed power lines and a gas leak.
Irving High School let students out early.
No traffic is being allowed on N. Connor Road between Rock Island Road and Union Bower Road or on Pioneer Drive between McArthur Boulevard and Ada Street.
Oncor has been out to survey the damage as well as the NWS.
A secondary building for Irving PD also had some major roof damage.
‘It’s a war zone'
What they're saying:
Mike Amir says his laundry store look was left in disarray.
"It was a war zone. Look at it. There used to be no tree here. There's a tree here now. That metal dumpster is across the street," he said. "It's going to be hard on them and especially with everything that's going on and the wasted groceries."
Dallas weather: How strong were Tuesday's winds?
Dallas-Fort Worth saw hurricane-force winds on Tuesday morning.
Irving Police Officer Anthony Alexander said there’s no timeline yet for when people will be allowed to return home.
"We just want residents to know that we’re going to be out here for quite a while," he said. "Our emergency services and fire personnel, they’re constantly assessing the damage. Once they understand that everything is structurally sound, they’ll allow people to go back in. But I don’t have an answer as to when that might be."
What's next:
The city has opened the Georgia Farrow Recreation Center on Davis Drive as a temporary shelter for anyone needing a place to stay.
The city says it will continue to post updates on social media as crews clear the streets and Oncor restores power to the area.
The Source: The information in this story comes from a news conference held by the Irving Police Department and interviews conducted by FOX 4's Steven Dial.