County Judge urges citizens to avoid the area while clean up continues
Gov. Greg Abbot made a declaration of disaster for Bell and Williamson County yesterday following an EF-3 tornado that ripped an eight-mile path through the area, damaging almost 80 structures.
“The more people we can keep off those roads until we get the debris cleared and then the power restored, the faster that power will be restored to the area,” Bell County Judge David Blackburn said late yesterday during a press conference on the tornado cleanup
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“Cleanup efforts can hopefully work a little bit more effectively and efficiently when they have power, especially on private properties where they’re relying on power for water. A lot of those homes in that area need electricity for the water. So they’re without it at this time too.”
At the time of the press conference, there were 638 power outages reported to Bartlett Electric Cooperative, the electricity provider in the area. That number has dropped considerably since then to 177 outages, according to the BEC website, as of April 14.
Asking people to avoid the area, Blackburn gave two numbers for citizens to call, one for help and one to offer help.
Blackburn said that residents who have been affected by the tornado and are in need of assistance, can call (254) 534-4562.
For anyone interested in making donations or offering assistance, call (254)-534-2217.
The phone lines will be manned 8 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays (except Good Friday on April 15).
The Cedar Valley tornado, as it is now called, initially touched down in Williamson County before making an eight-mile, quarter-mile wide swath into Bell County, principally in the Cedar Valley area, where it destroyed two churches (Victory Baptist Church and First Cedar Valley Baptist Church) and damaged or destroyed 61 houses.
Blackburn reported that there were 23 injuries reported due to the tornado that swept through Cedar Valley at about 6 p.m. April 12. Twelve of those were transported to local hospitals with one in critical condition.
The National Weather Service rated the Cedar Valley tornado as a EF-3 Tornado. Blackburn said that with the registered winds of 165 mph, “if they were one mile an hour more, it would have been an EF-4 tornado. It’s the highest EF-3 tornado you can have.
Crews have been working to assess damage in an 11 mile long, 1-mile wide search area. Blackburn said that there are 106 addresses in the identified area.
“I can’t give you any additional information in terms of how much damage occurred,” Blackburn said, “if it was total or partial.”
Blackburn issued a Local Declaration of Emergency. “I would encourage property owners to report their damage….There’s a threshold that we have to meet statewide in order for those funding opportunities to kick in for property owners. So it’s in everyone’s best interest if they’re reported.”
You can report damage to https://damage.tdem.texas.gov
Cedar Valley Road and FM 2843 remain closed to through traffic with peace officers stationed in the area to prevent unnecessary traffic into the tornado zone.
“Numerous roadways were impacted by down trees, limbs, power lines, and power poles,” Blackburn said. “We’ve got TXDOT, Bartlett Electric, local government, private citizen, all are out there right now working to help clear the roadways to get them passable and and clear the power line areas so that power again can be restored.”