Tornadoes damages homes, topples power lines in Fort Bend, Wharton counties

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- While Matagorda County sustained the most severe damage on Tuesday morning, residents in Fort Bend and Wharton reported damage to their homes and businesses after severe weather in the area spawned heavy winds and at least two tornadoes.





The National Weather Service confirmed that an EF0 tornado touched down in Stafford near Greenbriar Drive and Murphy Road.

Joey Kaczmarek, owner of of Southwest Domestics, was the only one in his office when the storm blew through.

RAW VIDEO: Storm damage in Missouri City area


"It opened the front door and just started sucking everything out," he recalled.

Kaczmarek ran to the bathroom for cover as blinds were twisted, the ceiling caved in and the pressure sucked light bulbs out of their sockets.

"It sounded just like a train coming through," said Kaczmarek, adding that he was grateful to escape unscathed.



Kaczmarek was one of several employees interviewed by the National Weather Service as they surveyed the damage to determine if it was straight lines winds or a tornado.

"We're comparing notes and looking at the radar data. This one is tough to tell for sure," said NWS meteorologist Dan Reilly.

Severe damage was also reported in Rosenberg, specifically in the Bridlewood Estates subdivision, where the National Weather Service says an EF2 tornado touched down.



Two of James Markle's most prized possessions -- his Harley motorcycle and a Porsche 966 -- were destroyed as the tornado's 120 mile per hour winds ripped through.

"It gets worse as you keep looking at it," Markle said of the destruction.



Kerry Dunford, who was home at the time of the storm, hid in the bath tub with her adult daughter. She heard the strong winds rip the roof off her home.

Although the worst of the storm passed in less than a minute, Dunford said it felt like an eternity.

"I would say [it was] the scariest moment of my life," she recalled.



Nearby, large swaths of sheet metal were ripped off of a dilapidated rice mill. Miraculously, nobody was injured by the flying debris.

After the storm passed, residents took to the street to help their neighbors clean up, expressing amazement at the extent of the destruction.

"We've got two houses that were pretty much not touched. My house and two other neighbors' were completely destroyed," one resident said.

Authorities expect cleanup efforts to take several days.



Similar damage was reported across Wharton, where many sheds and other smaller structures were destroyed, and some home sustained damage.

According to the National Weather Service, an EF0 tornado touched down in the area.

VIDEO: Tornado damage in Wharton County


"I heard a spark in my kitchen, and I looked outside my kitchen window and saw that a tree had fallen on my parents' house," said resident Lisa Mendoa. "As soon as rain stopped, that's when they let me go in the living room and see that part of the tree had fallen into their living room."

Mendoza's family was celebrating her mother's birthday when the storm hit.

Remarkably, no injuries were reported in the county.