Early Saturday, a tornado tore across Dickinson, Texas, causing significant damage. According to the City of Dickinson Emergency Management Coordinator there are no recorded injuries or death. Officials and citizens are starting to evaluate and deal with the damage as recovery initiatives get underway.
The storm affected multiple areas, mainly along Hughes Road from I-45 to east of Highway 3. Homes suffered moderate to severe damage as the tornado seemed to jump across Dickinson Bayou, East FM 517, and into places like Briar Hollow Drive and Misty Cove Court.
With about eighty Texas New Mexico Power (TNMP) customers still without energy as of Saturday night, power disruptions have presented a major obstacle. This is a significant drop from the 400 outages at first earlier in the day. Crews are aggressively restoring power. Complete restoration is expected by 2:30 a.m. Sunday.
Debris removal and repairs are being coordinated by emergency management teams, which also advise locals to avoid impacted areas wherever feasible. Notwithstanding the significant damage, the community has demonstrated resiliency in the face of hardship. Local politicians and neighbors have come together to assist in recovery initiatives.
Authorities advise citizens to remain alert while cleanup is still under way and to report any residual dangers such shaky buildings or dropped power lines.
The next days should bring more information on recovery developments as well as assistance tools.
The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences has recorded 22 people found dead in bayous this year, a higher number than Houston police had previously confirmed and first reported by the Houston Chronicle.
Community leaders in Houston’s Third Ward on Tuesday urged residents to stay calm as they awaited more information about the 15 bodies found in area bayous this year—including six in just two weeks—and pledged that law enforcement would release further investigative details soon.