Damage reported from winds, brief tornado overnight

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Storms overnight Friday left significant damage to several homes in far southeast Houston. A wall was ripped off of one home and part of a roof was sucked off another.

Teri Stroud was sitting in her kitchen around 1 a.m. Saturday when the wall was pulled from her home.

"I actually heard the sound first, and I thought we got struck by lighting," she said. "I saw the window lift out of its frame, and I could see outside and I ran."

Neighbor Brad Lawrence was in the kitchen of a house nearby when part of the roof got ripped away.

"I opened the refrigerator door and then my ears popped like they've never popped before, like on an airplane. The air was pulled out of me from the low pressure. I thought I was having like a health issue," he said.

Many of their neighbors had minor damage. Shingles were ripped off roofs, tree limbs were knocked down, windows broken and outdoor belongings tossed away.

A few streets over, multiple sheds were picked up and moved. One sits in the front yard, and neighbors said they weren't sure where it came from or who it belongs to.

"Our lawn furniture, I don't even know where that is. It literally sucked everything out," Stroud said.

The National Weather Service said a brief tornado may have touched down in Baytown overnight, but said the damage in the Southbelt/Ellington area was likely caused by straight-line winds.

Residents maintain a tornado is likely to blame based on the sounds, damage patterns and air-sucking.

The NWS damage reports for the area have not yet been released. No injuries were reported.

Despite the damage, people in the neighborhood are grateful, saying it could have easily been much worse.

"We didn't get hurt. The dogs didn't get loose. We're just very, very grateful," Stroud said.

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