Dallas tornado: More than 80,000 customers remain in the dark, 1 dead in Arkansas
Tens of thousands of residents woke up without power in Texas Monday after a tornado-producing storm roared through Dallas late Sunday, leaving a path of destruction that damaged structures, downed power lines and took a person's life in Arkansas.
More than 80,000 electric customers in Texas remained in the dark, according to numbers from power company Oncor accessed at 2 p.m. Monday.
In the early hours of Monday morning, that number was as high as roughly 140,000, according to the company. Around 65,000 of those affected electric customers were within Dallas, according to the city, which said it would open a shelter.
Oncor said early Monday that there’s no estimated time of restoration, although “crews are working as quickly and as safely as possible to restore power to those impacted by the storm" while urging residents to "stay safe and stay away from downed power lines.” The utility says the damage to power lines took place east of Interstate 35, an area that includes Dallas.
This Oct. 20, 2019 image made from video by Twitter user @AthenaRising shows the tornado in Rockwall, TX. The National Weather Service confirmed a tornado touched down in Dallas on Sunday night, causing structural damage and knocking out electricity
Early Monday morning, the storms moved through Oklahoma and Arkansas, where one person was killed after a tree fell on a home. Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson confirmed the fatality and said "significant storm damage" occurred in northwest Arkansas.
Among the tens of thousands of homes and businesses without power was the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport in Highfill, about 155 miles northwest of Little Rock. The airport says flights were still departing, though security screenings were being done manually.
In this Sunday, Oct. 20, 2019, photo offered by Lew Morris, damage to the KNON-FM radio station studio that hosts "Reckless Rock Radio" is seen after a tornado touched down in Dallas, Texas. (Lew Morris via AP)
The National Weather Service confirmed a tornado touched down in Dallas near Love Field Airport and moved northeast through the city around 9 p.m. Sunday, said National Weather Service meteorologist Jason Godwin.
A tornado watch issued for parts of Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas ended 10 a.m. Monday, according to the weather service.
Viewers shared images of the tornado with FOX 4 News.
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The storm also forced numerous schools to close. Six Dallas Independent School District campuses have canceled class on Monday, as has The Episcopal School of Dallas.
There were no reports of fatalities or serious injuries in Texas early Monday, but Fire-Rescue spokesman Jason Evans says three people were hospitalized for evaluation of non-life-threatening injuries.
Spokesperson Jason Evans says search teams conducted primary assessments on accessible structures for six hours overnight, but their efforts were “hampered by limited access and lack of proper lighting.”
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.