Forney Mayor Darren Rozell and City Manager Brian Brooks held a press conference in front of the Forney Police Department today, April 4, 2012, at 9 am. Two tornadoes touched down in Forney on April 3, 2012, causing extensive damage to neighborhoods and businesses.
Forney Mayor Darren Rozell and City Manager Brian Brooks held a press conference in front of the Forney Police Department today, April 4, 2012, at 9 am. Two tornadoes touched down in Forney on April 3, 2012, causing extensive damage to neighborhoods and businesses.
Forney Police Detective Michael Clay said that at 3:19 pm on April 3, the Forney storm warning emergency sirens were activated due to the inclement weather. At 3:37 pm, rotation was reported in the downtown area, and at 3:38 pm the downtown tornado touched down. At 3:42 pm the Diamond Creek sub-division on Ridgecrest and FM 548 was directly hit by a tornado. It is unknown if this was the same tornado that hit downtown or if it was the reported second tornado. Crosby Elementary School was damaged by the tornado and they are currently doing structural damage assessments on the school. Crosby elementary will be closed for the remainder of the week.
Det. Clay reported that seven people were injured in Forney and three of them were transported to area hospitals. None of the injuries were life threatening and there were no deaths during this storm outbreak. According to Det. Clay, at least 95 homes in Forney were damaged and 22 of them were completely destroyed. There were nearly 800 power outages reported last night, and as of 9 am this morning, 165 customers were still without power.
Mayor Rozell addressed the media, saying that he was grateful for the fact that “everybody who woke up in Forney yesterday morning, woke up again this morning.” He explained that not only were the emergency sirens activated, but that Forney residents were sent emails and texts, and received reverse 911 phone calls to warn them of the possible tornadoes coming to the area. He praised the Forney Police Department and Forney Fire Department for their immediate response to the disaster and explained that most of them live in Forney and had no idea if their own families were ok after the tornadoes came through. “That's the type of dedication we have here and that's the type of community we are.”
City Manager Brian Brooks said that people interested in volunteering to help in any way, should go to the City of Forney website for additional information. He said the best way to make monetary donations to help the Forney tornado victims is to go to redcross.org.
Mayor Rozell received a phone call after the press conference, notifying him that the Covenant Generations Church in Forney is teaming up with the local Best Western to make sure 20 rooms are available for those who suffered severe damage to their homes in Forney. Best Western discounted the rooms and Covenant Generations Church is paying the balance, so there will be no charge to the tornado victims. If you need this help, you must contact the Red Cross to get qualified and pick up a voucher for the room.
For up to date information about about this disaster and how and where you can help, visit the inForney.com live article here.
**Additional articles and photos about the tornadoes will be posted on inForney.com. Please check back for our local news coverage of this disaster.**
