Fire station in Jarrell damaged during Monday's severe storms
JARRELL, Texas (KXAN) — Severe storms and a possible tornado in Central Texas Monday night damaged a fire station in Jarrell, according to a spokesperson with Williamson County.
The ESD 5 Fire Station, located at 155 County Road 313, had part of its roof blown off as well as doors. The spokesperson said no one at the station was hurt.
"One of the firefighters came out and started opening up the door. He said all six of the doors sucked inward and then five of them just collapsed," said Fire Chief Ron Stewart.
The chief said the damage shouldn't affect their services.
The county said it also received reports at least two residences had parts of their roofs ripped off. A home being constructed on County Road 310 was also blown over in the strong winds.
In a Tuesday press conference, Jarrell Police Chief Kevin Denney said teams are out assessing the damage and will report it back to the state and county. He said there was damage to mainly buildings under construction, so they were uninhabited.
Chief Stewart added crews are searching for anyone who may be trapped and can't call for help. He also said electric crews have been out all night working to restore power.
"We will get through this together!" tweeted Williamson County Judge Bill Gravell.
Just after 8:45 p.m. on Monday, a Tornado Warning was issued for parts of northern Williamson County, including the town of Jarrell. That storm may have produced a possible tornado south of Jarrell. The National Weather Service plans to survey the area Tuesday and make a determination on whether it was a tornado or strong, straight-line winds.
NWS tweeted out a map of the areas it will be looking at Tuesday for possible tornado damage. Jarrell Mayor Larry Bush confirmed NWS would be doing both a ground and aerial survey.
Strong winds also created issues for 18-wheelers traveling on Interstate 35. The Jarrell Office of Emergency Management reported Monday night several 18-wheelers were toppled on their sides on the highway as well as the frontage road, shutting down roadways.
Chief Stewart said Tuesday there was one minor injury attributed to an 18-wheeler overturning. A driver was taken to the hospital to be evaluated for a non-life-threatening injury.
Those southbound I-35 lanes have since reopened, according to the Texas Department of Transportation.
Jarrell Independent School District Superintendent Toni Hicks said Tuesday no schools were damaged, but the district was put on a two-hour delay due to facility power outages. After buses worked to transport students safely to campuses, she said schools are in normal operations now. All power was restored at 8 a.m. in the district, including the internet and the phones.
If your area or home sustained storm damage from Monday night, you can self-report the damage to the state through this Texas Division of Emergency Management website.