Lewisville - Coppell | February 2023

REGIONAL City of Grapevine wades through aftermath of two tornado events

PATH OF THE STORMS The route of the Dec.13 tornadoes impacted businesses and a school.

Locations hit along tornado paths:

Key:

Tornado 1

Tornado 2

BY HANNAH JOHNSON

On the morning of Dec. 13, severe weather sirens wailed out across Grapevine notifying residents of possible tornado activity. At 8:42 a.m. the rst tornado formed near the Mustang Elite Car Wash before crossing Ira E. Woods Avenue and heading northeast toward the Walmart Supercenter, Discount Tire and several other businesses as well as a residential area, according to the National Weather Service. The tornado continued northeast for seven minutes. After the rst tornado began, a brief EF-1 tornado—meaning it was 100 yards in width and had estimated winds of 100 miles per hour—dam- aged parts of Grapevine Mills and the nearby Terrawood Apartments, the National Weather Service reported. The second tornado hit a peak wind of 100 mph then dissipated at 8:51 a.m. The two tornadoes were part of a larger storm system, with the National “We are incredibly thankful for the fact that we had only ve minor inju- ries, no loss of life and a community that came together swiftly,” Grapevine Mayor William D. Tate said. Assessing the damage In the tornadoes’ wake, over 40 structures were aected by the storm, including signicant damage to the city of Grapevine Service Center and Sam’s Club. Other buildings aected were Grapevine Middle School, Wae Way, Family Tire & Auto, and Extra Space Weather Service conrming 16 tornadoes across North Texas.

and should have a better idea of what a timeline looks like for any future details in the coming weeks,” David Schrag with the Sam’s Club Communi- cations department said in January. About 95 city employees were displaced after Grapevine’s Service Center was severely damaged. Admin- istrative and Engineering Director Bryan Beck said the center, which is located at 501 Shady Brook Drive, had nearly all of its interior walls damaged or destroyed. Along with the walls, he said there was a large amount of water damage from the rain that came through after the tornado. A major- ity of the building’s desks, chairs, furniture and computers were also damaged, Beck said. The service center housed public works employees, such as ield staff, the street and trafic signal division, the environmental management division, and the city’s water utilities division. Beck said the staff members have been moved to different locations across the city to continue working. “The sta were just amazing,” he said. “They spent an hour or two talking about the storm, and then they got to work.” Beck said it will take about 12-18 months to rebuild the main facility. The Dec. 13 tornados also aected Grapevine Middle School. Several heating, ventilation and air condition- ing units were damaged, along with broken lights and roof leaks. At the Dec. 19 board meeting, the GCISD board of trustees approved $108,000 of

GRAPEVINE MILLS PKWY.

1 Mustang Elite Car Wash 2 Sam’s Club 3 Discount Tire

LAKE GRAPEVINE

4 Wae Way 5 Grapevine Middle School 6 Grapevine Municipal Service Center 7 Grapevine Cemetery 8 Glass Cactus 9 Grapevine Mills 10 Terrawood Apartments

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121

NORTHWEST HWY.

114

121

MAP NOT TO SCALE N

1. MUSTANG ELITE CAR WASH

PHOTOS BY CODY THORNCOMMUNITY IMPACT

9. GRAPEVINE MILLS

SOURCES: CITY OF GRAPEVINE, NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICECOMMUNITY IMPACT

Schnautz thanked the board in the January meeting for their action. He said the district was able to get the supplies and equipment “in a very timely manner.” “We were a little inconvenienced, but we never closed up shop there at [Grapevine Middle School],” The National Weather Service says a tornado can occur any time of year. “December is not one of the more common months we get tornadoes,” National Weather Service Meteorolo- gist Bianca Garcia said. “Typically it is in the spring.” Schnautz said. Being prepared

After a tornado watch is issued, the National Weather Service acts quickly if a tornado warning is needed. A warning means a tornado is coming or shortly will be at a predicted location. Grapevine’s Emergency Man- agement department recommends putting together a disaster supply kit as it may take up to 72 hours to reach those in need. Important items needed are: nonperishable food, water, rst aid supplies, medication, hygiene items, a battery-operated radio, ashlights, hand tools, comfort items and pet supplies.

Storage, according to the city’s storm update webpage. an 18-wheeler turned sideways in the parking area between Walmart and Sam’s Club. Separately, Sam’s Club saw extensive During the storm,

"WE ARE INCREDIBLY THANKFUL FOR THE FACT THAT WE HAD ONLY FIVE MINOR INJURIES, NO LOSS OF LIFE AND A COMMUNITY THAT CAME TOGETHER SWIFTLY." WILLIAM D. TATE, MAYOR OF GRAPEVINE

undesignated funds from the 2016 bond to cover damage. The emergency expenditures covered removal of storm debris, the installation

roof damage to the building and is temporarily closed. A timeline for reopening is not yet announced. “We are currently working through the availability of needed supplies

of two HVAC units, the replacement of nine lights on the football eld and repairs to the roof. Interim Superintendent Brad

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