Following a briefing with first responders in Cooke County, Texas Gov. Greg Abbot says the devastating thunderstorms that killed 7 people overnight also injured more than 100 people.
The governor added that a tornado, or tornadoes, destroyed more than 200 homes and other buildings overnight Saturday and that another 120 structures were damaged.
"I'll be shocked if those numbers are not increased as further assessments are made," Abbott said.
The governor said there are no known missing people but that officials are doing another sweep to make sure no one has been overlooked.
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Abbott on Sunday added Collin, Denton, Cooke and Montague counties to the state's existing disaster declaration. There are now 106 of Texas's 254 counties listed on that declaration.
The governor urged anyone with storm damage to file a report online at damage.tdem.texas.gov and to reach out to their insurance provider as soon as possible. Filing a report helps the state and private landowners reach a necessary threshold for federal assistance.
Abbott will be joined Sunday by U.S. Rep. Michael C. Burgess (R-Lewisville), Texas Rep. David Spiller (R-Jacksboro), Cooke County Judge John Roane, Cooke County Sheriff Ray Sappington, Texas Division of Emergency Management Assistant Chief Kevin Starbuck, and other state and local officials.
APPARENT EF-2 TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN IN VALLEY VIEW
Seven people were killed overnight Saturday, including two children, after a severe thunderstorm spawned Tornado Warnings late Saturday night and left major damage in its wake across several counties, including Collin, Denton, Montague and Cooke counties.
During the governor's news conference on Sunday afternoon, Jennifer Dunn with the National Weather Service said preliminary estimates on the tornado near Valley View rated it as a higher-end EF-2 with wind speeds at 135 mph.
Dunn said more work was being done to further validate the rating and that NWS teams were conducting tornado surveys in other areas.
Valley View is located on Interstate 35 in Cooke County, about 17 miles north of Denton and about 50 miles north of Fort Worth.
