A woman has shared video showing how she and her daughter and grandson had to survive the scary tornado that hit Texas from their car on Tuesday.
Irma Cantu’s dashcam caught the Twister flying overhead while she and her daughter were walking home after picking up Cantu’s grandson from school.
She could only watch as the wind, rain and visible debris hit her SUV.
“I was just looking around, we had nowhere to go,” Cantu said. “So I just parked the car and put my emergency brake on. I could always feel objects hitting my car, it was terrifying.”
Such was the view one Texas woman shared of how she and her daughter and grandson had to weather the scary, destructive tornado that pounded Texas from the inside on Tuesday
Fortunately, no one in Cantu’s car was injured, but the vehicle sustained significant damage.
Videos showed extensive damage with downed power lines and debris fields stretching for miles through the Texas suburbs on Tuesday, along with destroyed buildings including an animal shelter.
The National Weather Service had issued a tornado emergency for the area and warned that a “large, extremely dangerous and potentially deadly tornado” was on the ground Tuesday afternoon and heading toward Baytown, about 25 miles east of Houston. The alert faded as the system moved eastward, leaving behind cooler temperatures.
Strong winds damaged commercial buildings, homes and power lines in nearby Pasadena, a city southeast of Houston. Utility poles and power lines were downed and several vehicles, including a trailer, were damaged or overturned in a parking lot.
There were no reports of serious injuries.
Irma Cantu’s dashcam caught the twister as it drove past while she and her daughter were on their way home after picking up Cantu’s grandson from school that day
She could only watch as the wind and rain and, as she put it, visible debris hit her SUV
Fortunately, no one in Cantu’s car was injured, but the SUV sustained significant damage
Drone footage shows the extent of damage from a powerful storm system that struck the Gulf Coast on Tuesday, spawning a tornado that caused damage east of Houston with winds up to 100 miles per hour
Drone footage shows the extent of tornado damage in Pasadena, TX, just southeast of the Houston subway. There was a tornado emergency here this afternoon. #TXwx pic.twitter.com/AythDxkupq
— WeatherNation (@WeatherNation) January 24, 2023
A drone camera that flew over Pasadena showed roofs and siding completely destroyed, allowing cameras to peer inside people’s torn homes. There were also several downed trees and some flooding.
Several businesses suffered major damage, including the city’s animal shelter. Fences were knocked down nearby, and clapboards and parts of the roofs of houses were torn off. The American Red Cross announced that it would open an animal shelter in Pasadena.
Shell spokesman Curtis Smith said natural gas was flared or burned at the Shell Chemicals site in nearby Deer Park after it lost steam due to severe weather.
“We are taking steps to minimize any noise, light or smoke associated with this activity, although it is expected to continue until units restart,” Smith said via email.
“There is no threat to the community, nor is there any evidence that a tornado landed nearby inside the Chemicals facility.”
A Pasadena animal shelter said it was destroyed by the extreme weather.
A drone camera that flew over Pasadena showed roofs and siding completely destroyed, allowing cameras to peer inside people’s torn homes. There were also several downed trees and some flooding
A trailer sits in a detention pond where a tornado was reportedly located along Mickey Gilley Blvd. near the Fairmont Parkway on Tuesday January 24, 2023 in Pasadena, Texas
A couple who are going to pick up their daughter from school stop to help a driver stuck in an overturned truck in Fairmont and the Beltway
Downed power lines and signs were seen all over the Spencer Highway near Deer Park
Tornado damage along Spencer Highway about a mile east of Beltway 8 near Houston
Videos showed extensive damage with downed power lines and debris fields stretching for miles through the Texas suburbs and destroyed buildings, including an animal shelter
The National Weather Service had issued a tornado emergency for the area and warned that a “large, extremely dangerous and potentially deadly tornado” was on the ground Tuesday afternoon and heading toward Baytown, about 25 miles east of Houston. The warning faded as the system moved east
There were power lines and damage to homes and businesses in Baytown, but no reports of serious injuries, Baytown spokesman Jason Calder said
Footage from Houston television station KTRK showed damage to buildings and power lines in Pasadena, a city southeast of Houston, including doors being knocked off by a Harley-Davidson dealership
Several businesses suffered major damage, including the city’s animal shelter. Fences were knocked down and clapboards and sections of roofs ripped from houses nearby, but there were no immediate reports of injuries
The Pasadena Animal Shelter wrote a Facebook note confirming the building was destroyed and asking for help relocating the animals
The shelter wrote on its Facebook page: “We now have a volunteer going there to see how we can help, but all dogs need a safe place. If you have the space (even in your garage) and the heart to open your home to one of these poor animals, now is the time to get in touch! This will take the Rescue Village!’
A trailer is parked in a detention pond where a tornado reportedly hit Mickey Gilley Blvd. happened near the Fairmont Parkway
A powerful storm system targeted the Gulf Coast on Tuesday, creating a tornado that wreaked havoc east of Houston with winds up to 100 miles per hour
The Pasadena Animal Shelter wrote on Facebook: “We now have a volunteer going there to see how we can help, but all dogs need a safe place. If you have the space (even in your garage) and the heart to open your home to one of these poor animals, now is the time to get in touch! This will take the Rescue Village!’
Many schools and businesses were closed across Oklahoma on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Snowfall ranged from 1 to 6 inches in some locations in the central and eastern parts of the state.
Several school districts in southwest Louisiana laid off students early Tuesday in anticipation of severe weather in the area.
The Deer Park, Texas police chief said no one was injured.