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Wednesday, May 28, 1997

Tornadoes strike Central Texas; At least 15 dead in Williamson County

By CHIP BROWN / Associated Press Writer

JARRELL, Texas (AP) - Violent storms ripped through four Central Texas counties Tuesday, killing at least 16 people, including 14 who died when a tornado flattened some 20 homes in a small-town subdivision.

One person died in another tornado in Travis County, and one person was reported to have drowned in an Austin-area creek. Another person was missing in the collapse of a grocery store roof, officials said.

In Jarrell, about 40 miles north of Austin, authorities said the Double Creeks Estate subdivision was leveled.

"It's not there anymore," said sheriff's deputy R.B. Raby. "I don't know of anything anyone can do. It's just a flat, vacant field."

Hearses trickled into the area where rescue workers had already started pulling bodies out by Tuesday evening.

Deputy Richard Elliott said 14 people were confirmed dead in the subdivision, where bits of clothing hung from barbed-wire fences and a tractor-trailer lay on its back in the middle of a field.

Scott & White Memorial Hospital in Temple reported receiving three victims from Jarrell. They were in critical condition, said spokeswomen Charlene Lee.

Jarrell, a town of less than 1,000 people, was largely destroyed by a tornado only eight years ago, on May 17, 1989. One person was killed and 28 were injured in that storm, which severely damaged or destroyed 35 homes and 12 mobile homes.

"I thought the one in 1989 was awful, but this is worse," said Janine Brock, a lifelong resident of Jarrell. "It's going to be awful. They're going to have to bury so many people."

In Austin, city spokesman Carlos Cordova said two homes were destroyed by a tornado around Lake Travis, killing one person. A woman drowned in Shoal Creek, Cordova said.

The violent storms began in Bell and McLennan counties, about 60 miles north of Jarrell, about 3:45 p.m. and moved into Williamson County just north of Austin.

"It was unbelievable," said Thomas Soliz, a Williamson County resident. "It was pretty frightening ... You just look up and there it is."

Also in Williamson County, violent storms hit an Albertsons grocery store in Cedar Park, blowing off part of the roof and causing the building to collapse. At least eight people were hurt and one was missing in the rubble, said county spokesman John Sneed said.

"The funnel was poking out of the sky and then the dirt on the ground started to spin and then the top and the bottom joined and you could see the tornado just start moving through town," said Mike Richardson, who owns a computer store near the Albertsons.

Columbia-St. David's Round Rock Hospital said it had received 14 tornado victims from Cedar Park. The injuries were mostly cuts and bruises.

A Wendy's restaurant and a video store near the grocery store also suffered heavy damage, and one of several old-time railroad cars parked in the town was flipped off the track and resting on its top.

Cedar Park Mayor Dorthey Duckett said she felt helpless as she watched the tornado rip through her town.

"It's very, very scary because you know what's happening to your friends and your neighbors and there's nothing you can do," she said.

Cox said emergency shelters were set up at a school and a church in Cedar Park.

In Bell County, a tornado destroyed a marina and 80 boats at Morgan's Point Resort on Belton Lake, said police chief Michael Elmore. Three homes were damaged, but there were no injuries, he said. Send a Letter to the Editor about This Story | Start or Join A Discussion about This Story
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