A possible tornado and severe spring thunderstorms are being blamed for flattening homes, trapping residents and caused flooding in Bridgeport and Runaway Bay overnight Tuesday.
Wise County volunteer firefighters reported damaged homes, debris and downed trees along Farm-to-Market Road 920 in Bridgeport. A community of mobile homes was also destroyed, flattening several homes and damaging several vehicles beyond repair in both Bridgeport and nearby Runaway Bay.
Welsey Campbell, 60, said he was as scared as he's ever been when he began to feel his entire home moving as the storm tore through Bridgeport.
"We started out the back door and before we made it out the back door the windows started blowing out and the front roof had gone off. And about the time the house started moving," Campbell recalled. "It was so loud and so much noise. When the roof ripped off it was unbelievable, the noise."
Storm Damage: Runaway Bay, May 19, 2015
He said at that point it was too late for he and his wife Miki to seek shelter elsewhere, so he threw her down on a pile of clothes in between the washer and dryer and crawled on top of her.
"It seemed like forever, but it finally quit. The windows blew out and the roof blew off. And then it was pouring down rain on us. We were trapped for 45 minutes and then the volunteer firefighters had to come get us out," Campbell said. "We are both blessed. We are thankful. We prayed the whole time, the good Lord saw it fit to not see us injured. I’m so thankful I got our Bibles. That’s our faith. We’re blessed today."
"He saved my life. We were going out the backdoor when it moved the house off the foundation, and he just threw me on the floor in the utility room and lay down on top of me. I thank God for him, I thank God we’re alive," said Miki Campbell.
Bridgeport police said there were also about 20 water rescues, about a dozen of which took place at the P&W Trailer Park on the 1400 block of Chico Highway. Other water rescues took place along the 600 block of Halfell Street.
Texas Game Wardens used a Humvee to perform the water rescues, loading residents into the vehicle and driving them to safety.
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No injuries were reported.
The American Red Cross opened a shelter at the First Baptist Church, 513 Port O Call Drive in nearby Runaway Bay, according to spokeswoman Anita Foster. The Red Cross is currently working on a disaster assessment plan.
NBC 5's Jeff Smith and Frank Heinz contributed to this report.
