WEATHER ALERT
Gage Goulding, Reporter, Houston, TX | Oscar Chavez, Photojournalist
Published: December 28, 2024 at 8:16 PM | Updated: December 28, 2024 at 9:13 PM
KATY, Texas – A tornado ripped through the Windward neighborhood of North Katy on Saturday, leaving several homes uninhabitable. Many homes suffered significant damage, including missing roof sections, blown-out windows, and overturned vehicles. The newer community is located just off FM 529, north of Katy.
On Saturday afternoon, the National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for a storm system moving through the area. Residents reported receiving emergency alerts on their phones minutes before the storm hit. “We just got the tornado alert on my phone five minutes earlier,” said resident Tipps Rancit. Cell phone video shows a funnel cloud touching down, with debris being lifted into the air. Another resident, Teresa Nguyen, described the experience: “I was just standing there looking at it. I felt the wind and the rain outside and the power went out a few times.” The tornado lasted less than a minute, according to neighbors.
While Nguyen’s home and Rancit’s sustained relatively minor damage (Nguyen’s garage door was blown in), several nearby houses were severely impacted. Roofs were torn off, walls peeled away, and vehicles flipped over. “I was sleeping,” said Toby Azemohor, “All of a sudden, I was hearing the rain and noticed out in the rain, just, it bamp! Bamp! Bamp! Bamp! Bamp! When I came out, it was flipped over.”
Miraculously, no one was injured. The homes that suffered the most damage were unoccupied at the time. “Thank God. I was a little scared when I saw the fire truck came through,” said Nguyen. Rancit added, “Everybody’s okay. That’s the most important thing.”
The National Weather Service has yet to officially confirm the tornado. A survey crew will likely be sent to the area to assess the damage and issue a rating.
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