[FLARES] Tornadoes, Heavy Rain, Hail Hit Texas; Houses Damaged, Four People Injured

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Tornadoes, Heavy Rain, Hail Hit Texas; Houses Damaged, Four People Injured
The Associated Press
Published: Mar 30, 2002

THORNTON, Texas (AP) - A tornado blew through a small central Texas
community Saturday, damaging houses and injuring at least four people,
authorities said.
The storm cut a wide swath east of Thornton, said Aubrey Briggs, mayor pro
tem of the city of roughly 500 people about 36 miles southeast of Waco.

"It missed the city. It was pretty widespread and pretty destructive,"
Briggs said. "My sister-in-law saw it. She said it was just a red cloud. It
must have been sucking dirt out of the ground."

The National Weather Service said several tornadoes blew through the state
Saturday.

A command post was set up at a school in Thornton, where several people were
treated for cuts and bruises and some were sent by ambulance to area
hospitals, Briggs said. Four people were taken to Limestone Medical Center
in nearby Groesbeck.

Storm damage was also reported near the central Texas town of Hico, about 68
miles southwest of Fort Worth. Authorities said some power lines were down.

Strong winds damaged part of a hospital and knocked out power to several
homes and businesses in the East Texas town of Atlanta.

Tom Crow, administrator at Atlanta Memorial Hospital, said a glass corridor
connecting the hospital to administrative offices was destroyed by high
winds.

"It just took the top off. It happened really, really fast," Crow said. "I
drove around in town and I saw a couple of big trees, I mean big trees you
can't get your arm around. They were knocked down."

Meanwhile, flash flood watches and warnings continue for dozens of counties
in North and East Texas.

The sprawling storm system centered over North Texas, dumping heavy rain and
spawning numerous thunderstorms. It should move out of the state by Sunday,
forecasters said.

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On the Net:

National Weather Service: http://www.nws.noaa.gov/

AP-ES-03-30-02 2225EST