Oven mitts, tattered clothes and glass litter northeast Celina homes and front yards alongside wood and debris as residents pick up the pieces left behind from a tornado that swept through on May 25.
Resident Josita Mandh said while the laundry room where she and her daughters sheltered in the evening hours is still standing, the room next door crumbled.
“The door was shaking,” she said.
Celina Communications Director Joe Monaco said said the first tornado siren went off in the city at 11:01 p.m. and six homes suffered major damages during the storm. Two minor injuries but no deaths have been reported so far, he said.
What happened
At least one large tornado hit the North Texas area overnight May 25 with damage spanning from Montague County to Collin County, said Monique Sellers, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Fort Worth office.
The full scope of the tornado’s damage is unclear, Sellers said. Survey teams were in the field on the morning of May 26 gathering information and will know more in the late afternoon or evening, she said.
Collin County Judge Chris Hill issued a disaster declaration for the county in response to the damages.
"I am heartbroken from the reports of devastation sustained by our friends and neighbors in Collin County last night," Hill said in a May 26 news release. "Our teams from Collin County, Celina and partnering agencies worked throughout the night and will continue working throughout the day to clear the debris from roadways and to assess the damage to homes.I have directed county staff to deploy every resource available to provide assistance to residents whose homes were destroyed last night."
The tornado is being referred to as an unconfirmed F3 tornado, a weather ranking that includes winds of 158 mph-206 mph, according to the release.
"Most of all, we are immensely grateful that there have been no reported fatalities," Hill said. "I am thankful for all of our first responders who acted swiftly as the calls came in throughout the night.”
How to help
Celina officials are directing all donations to the city’s Grace Bridge site, Monaco said. The site is currently recommending donations of:
- Water
- Gatorade
- Trash bags
- Gloves
- Cleaning supplies
