When a large tornado ripped through
The Texas town of Perryton faced mass destruction when a large tornado ripped through the city on Thursday afternoon.
The death toll was confirmed by the Fire Chief of Perryton, Paul Dutcher, who said one of the three causalities was caused by the tornado directly hitting a mobile home that was still inhabited. Additionally, 30 other trailers were also heavily damaged, requiring a large rescue team that also consisted of first responders from nearby cities like Oklahoma.
This led to the Ochlitree General Hospital in Perryton being overwhelmed by patients, and having to take to Facebook to say:
“Walking/wounded please go to the clinic. All others go to the hospital ER.”
The American Red Cross provided assistance by setting up a shelter in the hospital. One of the interns at the time, Kelly Judice, remarked “We got slammed by patients. We have seen somewhere between 50 and 100 patients.”
The tornado also destroyed electrical wiring and stations, resulting in about 50,000 people in Texas and Oklahoma being without power and even local radio stations having to run on auxiliary.
This may not be the last of it though, as the weather service warns of a second round of similar storms to affect parts of Texas. The whole area remains under risk of severe weather conditions, including tornados. It can only be hoped that the incoming subsequent storms are farther apart and less in intensity, as the whole city of Perryton recovers from the dreadful losses.
