Severe thunderstorms blew through Levelland early Tuesday morning creating thousands of dollars in damage to local businesses and residential areas.
“The whole tree had blown over and the tree has been there sixty years,” Resident Barbara Jimerez said. “So my granddaddy built the house and planted the trees when he built it, so it’s kind of sad.”
Officials report that storms started at approximately 3:00 a.m., mostly hitting areas along West Highway 114 and US 385.
“We get a lot of wind and stuff so that’s normal but for the first time I wanted to go into the cellar in the back and I don’t usually ever think about that,” Jimerez said.
Electrical pole lines were hit in different areas of town causing power outages to over half of the area. Crews were on site from 4:00 a.m. until 9:15 p.m. making repairs.
“Power polls, businesses have been damaged, roofs blown off, portable buildings are being blown across the highway,” Hockley County Emergency Management’s David Corder said as he described the damage throughout the town after a 12-hour shift.
Multiple local business buildings had their roofs destroyed, local residents cleaned up debris after their trees were struck by lightning, and a large shed lifted off the ground and traveled almost a block down the road.
“This is a farily defined path,” Corder said about the damage along Highway 114. “We got to see it from the air with the DPS helicopter. We’ve surveyed the entire scene with the helicopter and it’s a very distinct path that you can follow. So to us it looks like maybe we had us a small tornado.”
Officials said a local man was injured from the severe weather after wind picked him up and fell at a nearby location. He was first taken to a local hospital before being transferred to a Lubbock facility with unknown injuries.
Corder recommended each family set a safety plan ahead of time to be prepared for when the next severe storm hits their area.
