MINEOLA, Texas – A severe storm that authorities suspect involved a tornado destroyed three homes in a rural area of East Texas overnight, officials said Wednesday.
Law enforcement officers reported a possible tornado destroyed the three homes and injured four people, said Michael Brock, Tyler district liaison for the state Division of Emergency Management. Brock said the worst injury was a broken leg.
The storm struck a rural area about 15 miles northeast of Mineola just before midnight Tuesday. The destroyed homes included both mobile homes and regular structures, Brock said.
The National Weather Service (search) in Shreveport, La., said it also received law enforcement reports that a possible tornado downed numerous trees, including one that fell on a house.
Brock said he had no details on that report, but he said no other injuries were reported from the overnight storms.
Severe storms overnight packing 80 mph winds also caused some damage near Denton in North Texas and power outages around Gilmer in East Texas. Hail up to the size of baseballs were reported in Bridgeport in North Texas.
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox