The Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas was hit by tornadoes on Tuesday, leaving tons of rubble, damage and devastated families in its wake. No deaths were recorded, but as many as 13 twisters caused several injuries and destroyed as many as 650 homes in the area.
Jesse Moore, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Dallas-Fort Worth, believes the slow-moving weather system from northern New Mexico created between six and 13 tornadoes in total.
I know that sounds like a big range, but until we actually go out and do the survey, the number is just approximate, Moore said.
The mayor of Lancaster, Texas, also said that about 300 buildings in the city were damaged by the massive storm systems, which left more than 47,000 homes and businesses without power.
The Texas tornadoes were powerful enough to lift cars and trucks, crumble roofs, and shatter windows. Gwen Dabbs, a resident of Lancaster, said she couldn't make it into the interior room in her house before the tornadoes blew her windows out, so she huddled in a corner of her living room and covered herself with blankets.
It was like 'The Wizard of Oz,' Dabbs said. My body is sore from being in the corner. But I don't have not a cut, not a scratch, and I'm so thankful. Thank you, Lord.
Texans are still cleaning up the rubble and rebuilding their homes, while air travel in and around Dallas continues to be hampered by the disaster
Check out the pictures of the devastation, and read about how residents are slowly rebuilding their homes as Texans look to return to normalcy.
Typical tornado seasons run from March until June.
A resident sorts through the remains of her damaged home after a series of tornadoes ripped through the Dallas suburb of Lancaster, Texas, April 3, 2012. Up to a dozen tornadoes skipped through the densely populated Dallas-Fort Worth area in Texas on Tuesday, ripping apart homes and tossing tractor-trailer trucks into the air, but there were no reports of serious injuries or deaths.ReutersDuncan Winters, 10, looks for his bike in the remains of his grandmother's home during the cleanup effort in Forney, Texas, April 4, 2012. Thousands of residents were without power and hundreds of flights canceled on Wednesday as authorities surveyed the damage a day after up to a dozen tornadoes struck the densely populated Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas. ReutersA girl looks at the remains of her car during the cleanup effort in Forney, Texas, April 4, 2012. Thousands of residents were without power and hundreds of flights canceled on Wednesday as authorities surveyed the damage a day after up to a dozen tornadoes struck the densely populated Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas.ReutersA traffic sign lays on its side after being uprooted by the storm in Forney, Texas, April 4, 2012. Thousands of residents were without power and hundreds of flights canceled on Wednesday as authorities surveyed the damage a day after up to a dozen tornadoes struck the densely populated Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas.ReutersOnzelle Chandler makes her way out of her neighborhood after a tornado destroyed her home in the Dallas suburb of Lancaster, Texas, April 3, 2012.ReutersA vehicle rests in the driveway of a home destroyed by a series of tornadoes ripping through the Dallas suburb of Lancaster, Texas, April 3, 2012. Up to a dozen tornadoes skipped through the densely populated Dallas-Fort Worth area in Texas on Tuesday, ripping apart homes and tossing tractor-trailer trucks into the air, but there were no reports of serious injuries or deaths.ReutersMenique Waites looks at her home which was destroyed by a tornado that ripped through the Dallas suburb of Lancaster, Texas, April 3, 2012. Up to a dozen tornadoes skipped through the densely populated Dallas-Fort Worth area in Texas on Tuesday, ripping apart homes and tossing tractor-trailer trucks into the air, but there were no reports of serious injuries or deaths. ReutersSmashed cars lay in debris left by a tornado which passed through the southern area of Dallas, Texas April 3, 2012. Tornadoes tore through the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area in Texas on Tuesday, ripping apart buildings, tossing tractor trailer trucks into the air and grounding all planes in the region. There were no immediate reports of injuries or deaths although the storm was still active. ReutersA pole is seen protruding through a roof after a series of tornadoes ripped through the Dallas suburb of Lancaster, Texas, April 3, 2012. Up to a dozen tornadoes skipped through the densely populated Dallas-Fort Worth area in Texas on Tuesday, ripping apart homes and tossing tractor-trailer trucks into the air, but there were no reports of serious injuries or deaths.ReutersDamaged cars are seen amid the debris after a tornado struck a residential neighborhood in Lancaster, Texas April 3, 2012. At least two tornadoes tore through the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area in Texas on Tuesday, ripping apart buildings, tossing tractor trailer trucks into the air and grounding planes in the region.ReutersJoe Pham covers his vehicle during the cleanup effort in Forney, Texas April 4, 2012. Thousands of residents were without power and hundreds of flights canceled on Wednesday as authorities surveyed the damage a day after up to a dozen tornadoes struck the densely populated Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas. ReutersA family walks through the debris after their neighborhood was damaged by a series of tornadoes ripped through the Dallas suburb of Lancaster, Texas, April 3, 2012. Up to a dozen tornadoes skipped through the densely populated Dallas-Fort Worth area in Texas on Tuesday, ripping apart homes and tossing tractor-trailer trucks into the air, but there were no reports of serious injuries or deaths.ReutersResidents survey the damage to their neighborhood after a series of tornadoes ripped through the Dallas suburb of Lancaster, Texas, April 3, 2012. Up to a dozen tornadoes skipped through the densely populated Dallas-Fort Worth area in Texas on Tuesday, ripping apart homes and tossing tractor-trailer trucks into the air, but there were no reports of serious injuries or deaths.ReutersJason Moffett carries moves belongings out of a house which was destroyed after a series of tornadoes ripped through the Dallas suburb of Lancaster, Texas, April 3, 2012. Up to a dozen tornadoes skipped through the densely populated Dallas-Fort Worth area in Texas on Tuesday, ripping apart homes and tossing tractor-trailer trucks into the air, but there were no reports of serious injuries or deaths.ReutersA resident sorts through belongings after a series of tornadoes ripped through the Dallas suburb of Lancaster, Texas, April 3, 2012. Up to a dozen tornadoes skipped through the densely populated Dallas-Fort Worth area in Texas on Tuesday, ripping apart homes and tossing tractor-trailer trucks into the air, but there were no reports of serious injuries or deaths.ReutersA resident looks at the damage caused by a tornado that ripped through the Dallas suburb of Lancaster, Texas, April 3, 2012. Up to a dozen tornadoes skipped through the densely populated Dallas-Fort Worth area in Texas on Tuesday, ripping apart homes and tossing tractor-trailer trucks into the air, but there were no reports of serious injuries or deaths.ReutersBritteny Bradford looks at her home which was destroyed by a tornado that ripped through the Dallas suburb of Lancaster, Texas, April 3, 2012. Up to a dozen tornadoes skipped through the densely populated Dallas-Fort Worth area in Texas on Tuesday, ripping apart homes and tossing tractor-trailer trucks into the air, but there were no reports of serious injuries or deaths. ReutersShawn McLaughlin (R) surveys the damage of his destroyed home after a series of tornadoes ripped through the Dallas suburb of Lancaster, Texas, April 3, 2012. Up to a dozen tornadoes skipped through the densely populated Dallas-Fort Worth area in Texas on Tuesday, ripping apart homes and tossing tractor-trailer trucks into the air, but there were no reports of serious injuries or deaths.ReutersResidents survey the damage to their neighborhood after a series of tornadoes ripped through the Dallas suburb of Lancaster, Texas, April 3, 2012. Up to a dozen tornadoes skipped through the densely populated Dallas-Fort Worth area in Texas on Tuesday, ripping apart homes and tossing tractor-trailer trucks into the air, but there were no reports of serious injuries or deaths.ReutersA rescue worker surveys the damage after a series of tornadoes ripped through the Dallas suburb of Lancaster, Texas, April 3, 2012. ReutersLinda Duy (R) carries clothing out of her parent's house during the cleanup effort in Forney, Texas April 4, 2012. Thousands of residents were without power and hundreds of flights canceled on Wednesday as authorities surveyed the damage a day after up to a dozen tornadoes struck the densely populated Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas.ReutersHomeowner Charles Paige looks at his home during the cleanup effort in Forney, Texas, April 4, 2012. Thousands of residents were without power and hundreds of flights canceled on Wednesday as authorities surveyed the damage a day after up to a dozen tornadoes struck the densely populated Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas. ReutersSteven Carroll talks on the phone in the backyard of a neighbor's home during the cleanup effort in Forney, Texas, April 4, 2012. Thousands of residents were without power and hundreds of flights canceled on Wednesday as authorities surveyed the damage a day after up to a dozen tornadoes struck the densely populated Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas. ReutersJohn Shipman tosses a boot from the remains of his mother's home during the cleanup effort in Forney, Texas, April 4, 2012. Thousands of residents were without power and hundreds of flights canceled on Wednesday as authorities surveyed the damage a day after up to a dozen tornadoes struck the densely populated Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas.ReutersBrandy Beasley (L) and Bobbie Deen carry kittens they rescued from a home demolished by the tornado during the cleanup effort in Forney, Texas April 4, 2012. Thousands of residents were without power and hundreds of flights canceled on Wednesday as authorities surveyed the damage a day after up to a dozen tornadoes struck the densely populated Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas. ReutersA dog watches the cleanup effort from the back of a pickup truck in Forney, Texas, April 4, 2012. Thousands of residents were without power and hundreds of flights canceled on Wednesday as authorities surveyed the damage a day after up to a dozen tornadoes struck the densely populated Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas.ReutersA police officer talks to residents near a damaged house during a cleanup effort in Forney, Texas April 4, 2012. Thousands of residents were without power and hundreds of flights canceled on Wednesday as authorities surveyed the damage a day after up to a dozen tornadoes struck the densely populated Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas.ReutersA fire department official (L) talks to a resident during the cleanup effort in Forney, Texas, April 4, 2012. Thousands of residents were without power and hundreds of flights canceled on Wednesday as authorities surveyed the damage a day after up to a dozen tornadoes struck the densely populated Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas.ReutersLocal volunteers pick up debris from the storm during the cleanup effort in Forney, Texas April 4, 2012. Thousands of residents were without power and hundreds of flights canceled on Wednesday as authorities surveyed the damage a day after up to a dozen tornadoes struck the densely populated Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas.ReutersJason Laule walks through the wreckage of a neighbor's home during a cleanup effort in Forney, Texas April 4, 2012. Thousands of residents were without power and hundreds of flights canceled on Wednesday as authorities surveyed the damage a day after up to a dozen tornadoes struck the densely populated Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas.ReutersHomeowner Charles Paige (R) hugs co-worker Morris Shepard during the cleanup effort in Forney, Texas, April 4, 2012. Thousands of residents were without power and hundreds of flights canceled on Wednesday as authorities surveyed the damage a day after up to a dozen tornadoes struck the densely populated Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas.ReutersHomeowner Michael Lynch (L) reaches for a vase that survived the storm as his niece Xyllena Lynch (R) looks on during the cleanup effort after in Forney, Texas, April 4, 2012. Thousands of residents were without power and hundreds of flights canceled on Wednesday as authorities surveyed the damage a day after up to a dozen tornadoes struck the densely populated Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas. ReutersAbbey Wheeler (C) carries debris from the remains of the family's home during the cleanup effort in Forney, Texas, April 4, 2012. Thousands of residents were without power and hundreds of flights canceled on Wednesday as authorities surveyed the damage a day after up to a dozen tornadoes struck the densely populated Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas.ReutersBilly Ballard removes debris from his home during the cleanup effort in Forney, Texas, April 4, 2012. Thousands of residents were without power and hundreds of flights canceled on Wednesday as authorities surveyed the damage a day after up to a dozen tornadoes struck the densely populated Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas.ReutersSeven Cannaday lifts a section of fencing during the cleanup effort in Forney, Texas April 4, 2012. Thousands of residents were without power and hundreds of flights canceled on Wednesday as authorities surveyed the damage a day after up to a dozen tornadoes struck the densely populated Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas.ReutersCody Tapor walks through the debris at Crosby Elementary School during the cleanup effort in Forney, Texas April 4, 2012. Thousands of residents were without power and hundreds of flights canceled on Wednesday as authorities surveyed the damage a day after up to a dozen tornadoes struck the densely populated Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas.ReutersLocal volunteers walk by Crosby Elementary School during the cleanup effort in Forney, Texas, April 4, 2012. Thousands of residents were without power and hundreds of flights canceled on Wednesday as authorities surveyed the damage a day after up to a dozen tornadoes struck the densely populated Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas.ReutersAn unidentified woman walks through the remains of a home during the cleanup effort in Forney, Texas, April 4, 2012. Thousands of residents were without power and hundreds of flights canceled on Wednesday as authorities surveyed the damage a day after up to a dozen tornadoes struck the densely populated Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas.ReutersDenver Enochs carries a mattress from the remains of his home during the cleanup effort in Forney, Texas, April 4, 2012. Thousands of residents were without power and hundreds of flights canceled on Wednesday as authorities surveyed the damage a day after up to a dozen tornadoes struck the densely populated Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas.ReutersTheresa Winters (L) smiles at the sight of a glass which survived the storm during the cleanup effort in Forney, Texas, April 4, 2012. Thousands of residents were without power and hundreds of flights canceled on Wednesday as authorities surveyed the damage a day after up to a dozen tornadoes struck the densely populated Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas.Reuters
