Thursday marks three years since severe storms dropped at least nine twisters in North Texas, including an EF-3 tornado in the city of Dallas.
Today, the Dallas Independent School District announced Thomas Jefferson High School and Walnut Hill Elementary Schools will re-open in January. They were among the three schools that took direct hits in the tornado and have been under construction.
There is also an update on a new Dallas Fire-Rescue Station 41 along Royal Lane. The previous station was destroyed in the tornado.
Crews spent Thursday clearing the way for construction to start on a new fire station. Construction is expected to begin sometime in the next two weeks, according to DFR spokesman Jason Evans.
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The EF-3 tornado with winds of up to 140 mph touched down near Dallas Love Field on Sunday night, Oct. 20, 2019.
On the ground for 32 minutes, the twister carved out a 15-mile path of destruction in North Dallas. Hundreds of structures were damaged or destroyed, including schools, large retailers, homes and infrastructure. The storm caused an estimated $1.5 billion in damage, making it the costliest tornado event in Texas history.
However, the damage fell short for FEMA’s disaster declaration.
Steve Sumter was in his Preston Hollow condominium when he received a frantic text from a friend.
“He said: take cover, you’re in the path,” he recalled. “As soon as I looked at that, the windows blew in.”
His beloved Chihuahuas panicked and ran in different directions.
“As soon as I picked him up, one of the cinder blocks fell in behind me right where he was, so I was literally seconds before I lost a dog,” said Sumter.
Meanwhile, Dallas Fire Rescue Assistant Chief of Emergency Operations Justin Ball raced to Harry Hines Boulevard from his house after receiving several calls for service.
“[I] noticed a colossal amount of damage,” said Ball.
Ball oversaw rescue efforts that night, along with other DFR leaders.
Ball, along with police officers and city workers, spent the night searching 900 structures for anyone in need of rescue, fearing a significant death toll.
“I was waiting for a count,” he said. “I was in the command van waiting for people to be found. Even the next day, I expected some fatalities.”
Fortunately, no one was killed.
“I believe the response from the fire department, police, the other city entities, we had such a rapid response that I believe we saved people from themselves. People coming out of their structures and coming into contact with power lines,” said Ball.
DFR has made improvements following the destructive tornado, including creating a new incident command team for such emergencies, according to Ball.
He said they’re also now equipped with a new command van equipped to help print maps to better respond to large-scale disasters.
In the years since some residents and business owners have struggled to rebuild, a task made more challenging by the COVID-19 pandemic and rising building costs.
“As an HOA, I think we’ve done really well to rebuild, re-landscape and to get everybody back into their homes,” said Sumter. “It took two years and seven months.”
Sumter’s new condo has a deeper foundation and thicker walls in an effort to better protect it during storms.
