Parts of Collin declared a disaster; power likely to be restored today

12:36 AM CDT on Thursday, May 11, 2006

By ROY APPLETON, TIARA M. ELLIS and JENNIFER EMILY / The Dallas Morning News

JIM MAHONEY/DMN

Tuesday night's tornado marked an ominous path of destruction along the ground in northeastern Collin County.

WESTMINSTER – Mike Owens gripped his grandson and braced his back and feet against the laundry room wall for the coming tornado. The washer and dryer fell on top of them, the house was destroyed, and enough dirt to fill a Dixie cup packed his mouth.

Once the tornado passed, he shouted for his wife, nephew and son who had huddled under the stairs. Only two answered.

His 14-year-old son, Colson Owens, was one of three people killed after two tornadoes swept through the rolling hills and farmland in northern Collin and southern Grayson counties late Tuesday.

"We yelled for Colson, my son, and got no answer – and never did," Mr. Owens, 51, said Wednesday as neighbors hauled away debris and searched for what might be salvageable.

In the darkness, it took two hours for rescuers to find Colson's mother, Susan Owens, who was buried under the rubble of their wrecked home in Grayson County. Colson, a freshman at Van Alstyne High School, was found dead a few feet away, his father said. Flying lumber had struck him in the chest.

An elderly couple, possibly seeking shelter outside their mobile home, were also killed. Ten people were hospitalized – three flown out by air ambulance – and at least 26 homes destroyed. Injuries included a broken leg, abrasions and cuts.

The storm crumpled homes, downed power lines and toppled trees. The National Weather Service said one of the tornadoes was an F-3 on the Fujita scale, with maximum winds of 206 mph.

The bodies of Paul Harris Newsom, 82, and his wife, Mary Ellen Newsom, 80, were found in a ravine near their home, less than a mile from where Colson died. Officials were unsure whether they were taking cover or were pulled from their home.

At least two horses, two cows and a dog were killed, officials said.

Grayson County Sheriff J. Keith Gary said the tornadoes cut a swath about 200 to 300 yards wide and about eight miles long.

Some said they didn't know the tornado was coming until they heard the telltale train sound. Television reports, friends or relatives warned others. A 95-year-old Grayson County man was awakened by glass falling on his face.

Anna's emergency siren sounded twice, the first at 10:15 p.m. There are no warning devices in or around Westminster. Homes are too far apart, making sirens ineffective, Collin County Fire Marshal Steve Deffibaugh said.

Collin County has a system to call residents with warnings, but it was not used. Marshal Deffibaugh said there was not enough time, and the tornadoes knocked out power and telephone lines.

Police and firefighters from more than 20 cities responded. About 100 Westminster residents remained without power Wednesday afternoon. Power is expected to be restored today, Collin County spokeswoman Leigh Hornsby said.

Collin County Judge Ron Harris declared the affected parts of the county a disaster area and instituted a dusk-to-dawn curfew.

The county asked that people stay away from the tornado-ravaged area.

Jerry Johns, president of Southwestern Insurance Information Service, said it was too early to project insured losses.

"There are sufficient adjusters in the area to efficiently handle the number of claims, but we strongly encourage anyone who has damage to contact their insurance agent or company as soon as possible," Mr. Johns said.

Frances Fonsville and her daughter, Sharon Fonsville, both of Westminster, clung to each another as a burst of wind pulled them into their windowless garage. Then the roof collapsed – possibly the luckiest outcome.

"It was a suction that was unbelievable. It just blew us into the garage," said Sharon Fonsville, 43. "If it was not for the roof falling on us, we might have been blown out of the house."

Frances Fonsville's bedroom door blew through the house and broke in half. But the dishes in a black and gold china cabinet remained perfectly aligned.

Glass cut their bare feet. Blood stained the floor, walls and cushions. The women escaped with only stitches – five for the daughter, 25 for her mother.

About the same time, Cathy Dotson couldn't see anything but gray sky when she looked out her kitchen window near Westminster.

"It sounded like a regular thunderstorm, then it went crazy," said Ms. Dotson, 53, who huddled in a space between the bathroom and a closet with her two grandsons when the tornado hit Westminster about 10:30 p.m. Tuesday. "I could actually feel my house move."

Then it was over.

"No sooner had we got there, it just stopped," she said. "No wind. No nothing. Just quiet."

A large portion of the roof from her yellow house was missing. The attic was visible from the yard. Her metal shed was gone. So was her porch swing.

Westminster resident Dennis Lea's good deed may have spared his life.

Mr. Lea was warning a neighbor just minutes before a twister destroyed his rented home. When the twister roared through, he took shelter in the woman's home.

"Those trees out there were doubled over," he said. "I said, 'Man, this is no place to be.' "

Mr. Lea spent early Wednesday picking and sorting through the rubble of his 900-square-foot home that was left standing after the devastating winds.

"I must have [ticked] Mother Nature off," he said. "I'm a thrill-seeker, but this was enough for me."

Harley Roche, 83, was in bed when the twister tore through his land along County Road 480 west of Westminster.

"Things began to hit the building," Mr. Roche said. "I thought it was ice at first. ... I heard all this noise like a freight train."

Although his one-story brick home sustained only minor roof damage, both his cars were damaged and an outbuilding was flattened, leaving a Ford tractor sitting on its foundation. Winds blew the roof off his workshop, and a piece of lumber was driven through what was left of its metal walls. A giant hackberry tree near his back porch was uprooted.

Mr. Roche said he rode out the tornado with his 34-year-old grandson inside his home of 26 years, which lacks a storm cellar.

"I heard things snapping and breaking in the wind," he said. "I said a little prayer that the house didn't blow away."

American Red Cross spokeswoman Anita Foster said nearly 100 people sought refuge at Anna High School, although most left by 5 a.m. to head home or seek shelter with family or friends.

Ms. Foster said the Red Cross would have disaster teams in the community over the next few days to help those who lost loved ones or property. They also expected to counsel families with children who were terrorized by the disaster.

"It's such a sad situation what has happened here in this community – not just the physical losses but the emotional aftermath that people will go through," she said.

In downtown Westminster, Red Cross and Salvation Army volunteers served food and drinks to emergency workers. And men wearing orange jumpsuits from the Collin County sheriff's inmates work program unloaded a Home Depot truck filled with donated gloves, tarps, bottled water and roofing material.

Cecil Kyle, 69, fled to shelter in a carwash after his son called to warn him. He lives about a mile northeast of where Colson died.

"I got out the back with my shirt and pants in hand, just wearing my skivvies," he said.

Mr. Kyle said he doesn't know whether he will rebuild his uninsured home, but isn't sad or bitter about his loss.

"I've been blessed all the years I've had. My luck hasn't run out."

Dallas Morning News staff writers Kimberly Durnan, Alan Melson, and Paula Lavigne and staff photographer Guy Reynolds contributed to this report.

E-mail rappleton@dallasnews.com , tellis@dallasnews.com and jemily@dallasnews.com

The North Texas Food Bank, the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army provided food to storm victims. More than 2,000 pounds of food were distributed. A food collection site has been set up at Tom Thumb, 3001 Hardin Blvd. at El Dorado Parkway in McKinney. Donations of nonperishable nutritious foods such as peanut butter, beans, rice, pasta and tuna will be accepted.

Tuesday's killer storm marked the third time that a deadly tornado struck Collin County on May 9.

In 1927, a tornado virtually destroyed the town of Nevada, killing 28 people and injuring 100. That tornado and another in 1993 touched down about 10 miles and exactly 66 years apart.

In the 1927 twister, all telephone and telegraph communication collapsed. Rescuers stumbled in the dark to pull bodies from the rubble.

In 1993, a tornado on Mother's Day split Wylie from corner to corner, damaging almost 200 homes and businesses.

Researchers use a system called the Fujita-Pearson Scale to compare the intensity strengths of tornadoes.

F0: Light damage. Winds up to 72 mph

F1: Moderate. Winds between 73 and 112 mph

F2: Considerable. Winds between 113 and 157 mph

F3: Severe. Winds between 158 and 206 mph

F4: Devastating. Winds between 207 and 260 mph

F5: Incredible. Wind speed over 260 mph