The Tornado
The supercell producing at least two tornadoes first formed in northern Coahuila around 6:00 pm CDT (2300 UTC) and tracked eastward. It further developed, and became a right-moving supercell as it approached the city of Piedras Negras, where a large tornado was reported to have touched down. At least three people were killed and 87 were injured as the tornado moved through Piedras Negras. Dozens of houses and cars were damaged (with structural damage to some houses) and power poles were knocked down. That tornado was rated "F4" on the Fujita scale.
A second, EF3 tornado then formed across the Rio Grande in Texas. In Eagle Pass (about 150 miles (240 km) southwest of San Antonio) Rosita Valley Elementary School was destroyed, more than 300 houses were damaged or destroyed (including 198 mobile homes) and the municipal water treatment plant was also destroyed. Several mobile homes were reportedly flattened and "blown away" by the tornadoes. The hardest-hit neighborhoods were just south of Eagle Pass, where seven died, including five in a single mobile home. In addition, 76 others were injured. The Texas Army National Guard, Texas State Guard and Border Patrol were quickly on the scene looking for additional victims. This was the first of only a dozen tornadoes in the history of Maverick County (where Eagle Pass is located) to produce any fatalities. The system that spawned the deadly tornado also spawned 80 tornadoes from April 22 to April 29, 2007.
In both communities, hundreds were left homeless after the tornadoes.
Read more about this topic: 2007 Piedras Negras-Eagle Pass Tornadoes
Famous quotes containing the word tornado:
“The sumptuous age of stars and images is reduced to a few artificial tornado effects, pathetic fake buildings, and childish tricks which the crowd pretends to be taken in by to avoid feeling too disappointed. Ghost towns, ghost people. The whole place has the same air of obsolescence about it as Sunset or Hollywood Boulevard.”
—Jean Baudrillard (b. 1929)