TORNADIC Early in the evening of March 21, three tornadoes touched down in Central Texas. Round Rock was one of the communities hardest hit. The following data illustrates the path of the tornado and details some of the areas impacted. path Scan to see more coverage on the tornado.
1
2
Bank of America, Round Rock
ClayMadsen Recreation Center, Round Rock
3
4
Approximate path of the tornado
# Key locations
6
110
RED BUD LN.
South Creek neighborhood, Round Rock
Kalahari Resorts, Round Rock
5
130 TOLL
123
5
6
4
79
KENNEY FORT BLVD.
MAYS ST.
3
35
FOREST CREEK DR.
2
DOUBLE CREEK DR.
1
45 TOLL
Eli’s Roadside Produce Market, Round Rock
Cottonwood Village, Hutto
GREENLAWN BLVD.
M AP NOT TO SCALE N
SOURCES: CITY OF ROUND ROCK, ROUND ROCK POLICE DEPARTMENT COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
It’s a loss. But if you are alive— you can rebuild that property.” Initial impact On March 22, after crews surveyed the Round Rock and Granger areas most heavily a ected by the tor- nadoes, Gravell said about 1,000 homes were damaged or completely destroyed in Williamson County. The same day, o cials from Round Rock and Wil- liamson County issued a disaster declaration. Round Rock Mayor Craig Morgan urged people to avoid areas hardest hit within the city so crews could continue clearing debris and repairing downed power lines. Additionally, Gravell said more than 15,000 residents were without power as a result of downed power lines caused by the tornadoes. However, by March 24, about 170 people in the area were without power, according to data from local energy pro- vider Oncor.
roofs o of houses. Williamson County has had its share of destructive tornadoes. NOAA data states the most destructive tornado in the area was an EF5 that hit Jar- rell on May 27, 1997, killed 27 people, injured 12 others and resulted in $40 million in damage. The March 21 EF2 tornado hit numerous homes, busi- nesses and automobiles in Round Rock along a north- eastern path from its touch- down near the interchange between I-35 and SH 45 N to eastern segments of Hwy. 79, including Eli’s Roadside Pro- duce Market. O cial gures are not in as of press time, but at least 35 businesses experienced dam- ages. Kalahari Resorts, which closed March 22-25, was one of the largest local businesses hit. The Round Rock Police Department reported one vehicular accident as a result of the tornado—an
Though no other campuses closed the next day, acting Round Rock ISD Superinten- dent Daniel Presley in a state- ment said an extended power outage caused a one-day clo- sure at Callison Elementary School. Calling it a “March mira- cle,” Gravell said no deaths or serious injuries were reported as a result of the storm. A ected areas in Round Rock andHutto By March 23, the National Weather Service classi- ed the tornado that swept through Round Rock and Granger with wind speeds up to 135 mph as an EF2 on what is called the Enhanced Fujita Scale. According to the EF Scale, an EF2, which is the third most powerful on a scale from EF-0 to EF-5, brings winds up to 157 mph, destroys trees and mobile homes, turns large objects into projectiles and rips the
overturned 18-wheeler on SH 45 N near its interchange with I-35. The tornado damaged or destroyed many parked vehicles, but RRPD public information o cer Nicholas Olivier said the department has not tracked that gure. The Chili’s Grill & Bar and Bank of America locations within the Boardwalk shop- ping center near the I-35 and SH 45 N interchange with- stood extensive damage and are still closed as of press time. Also hit hard were Round Rock’s South Creek neigh- borhood, the Clay Madsen Recreation Center o of Gat- tis School Road, and several food trucks and stands within Eli’s Roadside Produce Mar- ket o Hwy. 79. Farther east in Hutto, city sta con rmed that in at least one neighborhood— Cottonwood Village—the tornado leveled several new homes under construction, but beyond that, damage was minimal.
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amount of damage—the tor- nado crushed her garage with her car still in it, and the top of her house is nearly gone. In the days after the vio- lent weather subsided, state, county and local o cials began assessing the scope of the destruction. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Williamson County Judge Bill Gravell held a press confer- ence immediately after the weather had calmed. At that time, relatively few details emerged about the breadth of the devas- tation, but Abbott issued a hopeful statement to county residents. “We know that you have faced a devastating storm ... with multiple tornadoes ripping through Williamson County alone,” Abbott said. “We know there are many people whose lives have been completely disrupted. People have lost their homes. Prop- erty damage is devastating.
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COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER • COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM
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