Mineral Wells Area News

By Amy Meyer / Mineral Wells Area News

“We had no reported injuries,” County Fire Chief Danny Watkins stated regarding last night’s storm.

When asked about the affected areas, Chief Watkins explained, “It’s more isolated in the Graford area, but it’s a full swath from PK West, PK East, all the way to Graford.”

The chief noted that damage assessments were underway.

“Fire Marshall Jordan and I went out this morning for damage assessments and made contact with some of the homeowners that had experienced damage,” said Watkins.

He also indicated they were still determining the nature of the storm.

“We have no report of a tornado, just straight line wins so far, but we’re waiting to hear from them.”

Former State House Representative Glenn Rogers posted to his Facebook that he thought his house was hit by a tornado around 4am, sharing photos of the damage.

“Blew out large windows on west side. Waiting till daylight to survey all damage. Ya’ll be careful out there,” Rogers wrote.

The City of Mineral Wells also experienced storm damage, with the southeast section of town experiencing the heaviest hit.

Mineral Wells Fire Chief Ryan Dunn reports the MW Regional Airport sustained damage.

According to a press release from the City of Mineral Wells, the airport sustained significant damage, including destruction to the airport sign and several hangar doors impacted. Fire Chief Dunn has been in contact with Emergency Management Coordinators from both Parker and Palo Pinto counties.

Mineral Wells Police Chief Tim Denison reported issues at the Mineral Wells Animal Shelter, including damage to outdoor kennels, trees, and a downed satellite dish on the roof.

The Woodhaven Mobile Home Community looked to have at least six structures with damage and the nearby Church of God’s roof had visible lifting of shingles. Several residents on Sartain Road reported damage to out-buildings and animal shelters.

The Let’s Grow Crazy Community Garden was also among the properties that suffered direct impact, including the destruction of a garden shed and some downed fencing.

Oncor reported at 1:30 PM that of their 13,320 customers in the area, there were 50 active outages impacting 300 customers, with several outages expected to be resolved by 3:00 PM. Parts of the area remain without power, with residents on Keller Road and Glidewell Road among those reporting ongoing outages.

The National Weather Service reported winds reached 65 MPH during the storm, just under the 70 MPH threshold that would have triggered city warning sirens.

Heavy gust winds are expected to remain in the community until almost 9pm so officials and first responders are on high alert.

Residents are advised to call the City of Mineral Wells non-emergency line at (940) 328-7770 for non-emergency needs, 911 for emergencies, and 940-328-7777 for emergency water shut-offs. The Palo Pinto County Sheriff’s non-emergency line is (940) 659-2085.Power outages can be reported to Oncor at 888-313-4747.