The National Weather Service office in San Francisco issued a Tornado Warning Thursday afternoon for central Santa Cruz County, citing radar-indicated rotation within a severe thunderstorm. The warning was shortly canceled.The National Weather Service said, “At 12:40 PM PST, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado was located over Scotts Valley, or 6 miles northeast of Santa Cruz, moving north at 35 mph.”The warning was issued at 12:19 p.m. and had been set to remain in effect until 1:00 p.m., before it was canceled at around 12:50 p.m. Forecasters said the storm was located about 7 miles south of Santa Cruz at the time of the initial alert and was moving north at roughly 35 mphStay with our partner station KSBW for the latest. Officials warned that a tornado could produce dangerous flying debris, with the potential to damage or destroy mobile homes and cause damage to roofs, windows, and vehicles. Tree damage is also likely, according to the weather service.Areas listed in the warning included: Santa Cruz, Corralitos, Scotts Valley, Capitola, Live Oak, Soquel, Twin Lakes, Opal Cliffs, Felton, Aptos, Ben Lomond, Rio Del Mar, Eureka Canyon Road, Boulder Creek, Day Valley, and the Aptos Hills-Larkin Valley area.Safety guidanceThe National Weather Service urged residents to move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a well-built building, away from windows. People outdoors, in mobile homes, or in vehicles were advised to seek the closest substantial shelter immediately and protect themselves from flying debris.The warning was based on radar-indicated rotation. The storm may also produce hail under 1 inch, forecasters said.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
The National Weather Service office in San Francisco issued a Tornado Warning Thursday afternoon for central Santa Cruz County, citing radar-indicated rotation within a severe thunderstorm. The warning was shortly canceled.
The National Weather Service said, “At 12:40 PM PST, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado was located over Scotts Valley, or 6 miles northeast of Santa Cruz, moving north at 35 mph.”
The warning was issued at 12:19 p.m. and had been set to remain in effect until 1:00 p.m., before it was canceled at around 12:50 p.m. Forecasters said the storm was located about 7 miles south of Santa Cruz at the time of the initial alert and was moving north at roughly 35 mph
This content is imported from Twitter.
You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
Officials warned that a tornado could produce dangerous flying debris, with the potential to damage or destroy mobile homes and cause damage to roofs, windows, and vehicles. Tree damage is also likely, according to the weather service.
Areas listed in the warning included: Santa Cruz, Corralitos, Scotts Valley, Capitola, Live Oak, Soquel, Twin Lakes, Opal Cliffs, Felton, Aptos, Ben Lomond, Rio Del Mar, Eureka Canyon Road, Boulder Creek, Day Valley, and the Aptos Hills-Larkin Valley area.
Safety guidance
The National Weather Service urged residents to move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a well-built building, away from windows. People outdoors, in mobile homes, or in vehicles were advised to seek the closest substantial shelter immediately and protect themselves from flying debris.
The warning was based on radar-indicated rotation. The storm may also produce hail under 1 inch, forecasters said.
Six months after an EF-3 tornado tore through St. Louis, some residents say they’re still waiting for repairs and assistance as winter approaches.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Six months after an EF-3 tornado tore through St. Louis, killing five people and causing an estimated $1.6 billion in damage, parts of the city are still littered with broken windows, blue tarps and homes that haven’t been touched since May.
Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley has previously warned that tornado-damaged communities can’t rebuild without strong federal involvement.
In St. Louis, residents say they’re still waiting for the help they were told would be coming.
A home in St. Louis sits partially collapsed after the EF-3 tornado in May, leaving bricks and debris piled along the street.(FOX NEWS)
Benjamin Anderson has lived in one of the hardest-hit neighborhoods for seven years and owns several rental properties in the area. When the storm hit, he was at work a few miles away.
“I got bombarded by about 37 texts from my dad with photos of our buildings. Just totally… some of them literally totally destroyed,” he said, adding that one of his multi-unit buildings suffered six figures’ worth of damage. “After spending a year and a half putting our hearts and souls into a building… that was not a fun experience to have to come back to.”
He said the recovery process has been slow and confusing, even for someone familiar with contractors and insurance systems.
“I applied for FEMA five times on like 4 or 5 different properties. And we were denied every single time,” Anderson said. “I haven’t heard anybody who’s come to me and they’re like, I got a $10,000 check from FEMA, and it’s really going to help me do these things.”
According to FEMA, millions of dollars in federal aid have been approved for Missouri storm survivors, including temporary housing assistance and low-interest SBA loans. But the agency noted in an October recovery update that many applications require follow-up documentation and some denials are later overturned on appeal.
The tornado ripped open the roof and upper floors of this St. Louis building, leaving exposed beams and debris behind.(FOX NEWS)
On the ground, residents say the need is outpacing the help.
Anderson said some neighbors have already left indefinitely, so contractors can work, while others have no idea where to begin. During a walk through the neighborhood, he met a man who is still camping outside their house because the home was condemned and had no power.
At the same time, some people have tried to take advantage of the situation.
“There were people coming through the neighborhood same day… these sort of like opportunistic roofers and window people,” Anderson said, adding that he turned down one man with Florida plates who offered to put a tarp on his roof for $2,000.
He later saw similar tarps on other houses and worried neighbors paid out of fear.
Not everyone lost their homes entirely, but many are navigating a long and confusing recovery.
Homeowner Misty Williams, considers herself lucky, but is still feeling the strain.
“It’s okay. We had some… damage to our house,” Williams said. “Thank God, you know, it was as minor as it was. My heart does go out to people, you know, that’s going to a total loss.”
Boarded windows and a shredded tarp remain on this St. Louis home six months after the tornado, showing how much work is still unfinished.(FOX NEWS)
Still, she said the money they received doesn’t cover everything. “Sometimes the repair cost far exceed the amount that you’re given,” she said.
Williams said she’s hopeful about a new city program called STL Recovers, which helps tornado survivors figure out what assistance they qualify for and how to begin repairing their homes.
Experts say that emotional impact often hits hardest at the six-month mark.
“Six months following a significant natural disaster is an important psychological time,” said Dr. Joshua Klapow, a clinical psychologist. “Six months is really, if you will, the end often of the adrenaline rush. And so now we’re tapping into much deeper resiliency efforts.”
He said survivors often feel more worn down months later than they did right after the storm. “For individuals, they can often feel like they don’t have the steam to keep going,” he said. “This is the time where those feelings of sadness and loss really can hit home.”
Winter weather can make that even more difficult. “Cold temperatures, less daylight… when you are also trying to navigate getting your life back together, those two things can compound,” Klapow said.
A tent sits in the yard of a storm-damaged St. Louis home, where someone appears to be camping on the property months after the tornado.(FOX NEWS)
In St. Louis, residents like Anderson are simply hoping the next six months look different from the last six.
“There’s still people who are sleeping outside their homes and it’s starting to get cold,” he said. “I hope that their situations are figured out so that maybe they do get some of that help… to move back inside in the winter.”
City leaders recently announced an expanded recovery effort, including a housing and temporary shelter program unveiled by Mayor Cara Spencer that is aimed at helping families who still cannot return home six months after the storm.
Olivianna Calmes joined Fox News in 2024 as a Multimedia Reporter based in St. Louis, Missouri.
A powerful tornado hit Brazil’s southern state of Parana, killing six people and injuring more than 400 others Friday night, state officials said Saturday.
The tornado, which hit speeds of more than 155 mph, destroyed dozens of homes in Rio Bonito do Iguacu, a town of about 14,000 residents, and prompted the government to declare an emergency in the affected region.
“It destroyed everything. It destroyed the town, houses, schools. What will become of us?” Roselei Dalcandon told AFP as she stood by a pile of rubble that used to be her shop.
Aerial view of destroyed buildings after a tornado hit Rio Bonito do Iguacu, Parana state, Brazil, on Nov. 8, 2025.
Parana State Government/Handout via REUTERS
State officials in a statement said at least one person was missing hours after the tornado touched down. Five of the killed were adults and the sixth was a 14-year-old girl. The number of people missing is expected to rise, officials said.
The government said that 437 people, including children and pregnant women, had received medical attention at hospitals and on-site units. Of those, at least 10 underwent surgery and nine remained in serious condition.
Aerial view of destroyed houses after a tornado hit Rio Bonito do Iguacu, Parana state, Brazil, on Nov. 8, 2025.
Parana State Government/Handout via REUTERS
Civil defense officials estimated that about 90% of the town suffered some damage.
On social media, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva expressed solidarity with the victims.
“We will continue supporting the Paraná population. And providing all the necessary assistance,” he said.
“After last year’s tornado
caused significant damage to the school, students and staff have shown
incredible strength and perseverance,” the post reads. “The 6th and 7th grade
wings had to be rebuilt and during that time, classes were held in the auditorium
and media center and then most recently in large modular units.”
The district’s post also said the reconstruction is
completed months ahead of schedule. The district thanked the contractors for
their hard work in making repairs, which included repairing the torn-off roof.
On Aug. 8, 2024, the EF3
tornado ravaged Springfield Middle School and other parts of Wilson County.
“We are looking forward to
October 20 when all students and staff will be together again under one roof,”
the post reads. “This moment represents more than just new walls and classrooms
– it’s a celebration of resilience and community!”
The school
had to use mobile units to serve as temporary classrooms. Also, the school used
its eighth-grade wing and the core of
the school while the damaged wings got rebuilt.
Two decades on, the memories of Greensburg’s darkest moments are still painfully fresh.
On May 4, 2007, an EF-5 tornado destroyed 95% of the small town in Kiowa County, Kansas, killing 10 people and injuring over 60 others.
Dea and Tom Corns lost their home in the tornado and can still recall that horrifying day.
“It sounded like there was a helicopter inside the house, just ripping everything to shreds,” Dea Corns said.
Although fate dealt Greensburg a cruel blow, it also gave residents an opportunity. In the heart of deep red Kansas, the town went green. Today, 100% of its electricity comes from wind energy and many of its roofs are lined with solar panels.
“Now we are a story about a resilient, rural community that came back better and stronger,” Dea Corns said.
Greensburg Mayor Matt Christenson says “people with a pioneer spirit” make their home in the town.
“Sustainable features in buildings and communities don’t just provide environmental benefits, but also long-term economic benefits,” Christenson said.
In the past 10 years, the average cost of electricity in Greensburg has risen just once, and only by half a penny. Christenson says that hike came in 2021 after an ice storm. The cost, he says, rose from 12 cents per kilowatt hour to 12.5 cents per kilowatt hour.
When asked if it was hard to convince residents to go green, Christenson replied, “Honestly, it wasn’t that hard.”
He said the town “made a conscious effort to not, for example, impose a lot of requirements on our building codes,” and added, “Legislating that would have backfired, for sure. People don’t like being told what to do, but if you, you know, work with them and show this actually makes a lot of sense, you get a lot better results.”
But the rebuild also exposed a familiar challenge in rural America of younger residents permanently leaving small towns. After graduating from high school, Katelynn Alderfer never thought she would move back to Greensburg, but she returned to her family’s century-old farm after being inspired by the town’s renewal.
“We’ve made an example of what you can do for other places that encounter similar situations,” Alderfer said. “We all have this common thing that we share, this disaster that happened to us. And for the most part, we don’t think about it, we don’t talk about it, but it binds us all together.”
The Corns miss the old Greensburg, but Dea says, “if I was given the option of the old Greensburg and the new Greensburg, 100% I would go with the new Greensburg.”
It’s been almost a month since Hurricane Milton battered Florida, and some homeowners in Brevard County are still in the middle of cleanup and repairs.”Sometimes people come, and they don’t have all the equipment they need, and they’re not prepared,” said a Cocoa Beach homeowner. “If it hadn’t been for the tornado, I don’t think this area at least wouldn’t have the damage that it had.”The county’s public information officer Rachel Horst said the damage assessment report shows at least 723 properties were impacted by the storm. Thirty-two of them received major damage, with most being in the Cocoa Beach area. Homeowners said that while they are trying to stay patient, getting repair help is taking longer than expected. “Obviously dealing with insurance and getting builders and contractors in,” said Gary Sorohan, a homeowner in Cocoa Beach. “Although we’ve got quite a lot of damage there are people worse off than us, so I don’t think some of our neighbors will be back to normal before four or six months at least. I’m hoping we get done by Christmas.”The county said, so far, FEMA has set aside $2 million to help 650 households. It may cover temporary housing, hotel stays and some repairs. “We just got to stay as patient as we can even though it’s frustrating and hope that things move on relatively quickly,” Sorohan said.Owners of properties that suffered damage from Milton are encouraged to register for FEMA assistance.
BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. —
It’s been almost a month since Hurricane Milton battered Florida, and some homeowners in Brevard County are still in the middle of cleanup and repairs.
“Sometimes people come, and they don’t have all the equipment they need, and they’re not prepared,” said a Cocoa Beach homeowner. “If it hadn’t been for the tornado, I don’t think this area at least wouldn’t have the damage that it had.”
The county’s public information officer Rachel Horst said the damage assessment report shows at least 723 properties were impacted by the storm. Thirty-two of them received major damage, with most being in the Cocoa Beach area.
Homeowners said that while they are trying to stay patient, getting repair help is taking longer than expected.
“Obviously dealing with insurance and getting builders and contractors in,” said Gary Sorohan, a homeowner in Cocoa Beach. “Although we’ve got quite a lot of damage there are people worse off than us, so I don’t think some of our neighbors will be back to normal before four or six months at least. I’m hoping we get done by Christmas.”
The county said, so far, FEMA has set aside $2 million to help 650 households. It may cover temporary housing, hotel stays and some repairs.
“We just got to stay as patient as we can even though it’s frustrating and hope that things move on relatively quickly,” Sorohan said.
Owners of properties that suffered damage from Milton are encouraged to register for FEMA assistance.
Wildfires are blazing in Oklahoma as warnings of severe weather spread in Kansas and other parts of the central U.S. CBS News’ Rob Marciano has the latest on strong winds that could create severe conditions.
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
Floridians recovering from Hurricane Milton, many of whom were journeying home after fleeing hundreds of miles to escape the storm, spent much of Saturday searching for gas as a fuel shortage gripped the state.
In St. Petersburg, scores of people lined up at a station that had no gas, hoping it would arrive soon. Among them was Daniel Thornton and his 9-year-old daughter Magnolia, who arrived at the station at 7 a.m. and were still waiting four hours later.
“They told me they have gas coming but they don’t know when it’s going to be here,” he said. “I have no choice. I have to sit here all day with her until I get gas.”
Gov. Ron DeSantis told reporters Saturday morning that the state opened three fuel distribution sites and planned to open several more. Residents can get 10 gallons each, free of charge, he said.
An aerial view of vehicles lined up to wait for gas at a Circle K station on Oct. 11, 2024, in Englewood, Florida.
Getty Images
“Obviously as power gets restored…and the Port of Tampa is open, you’re going to see the fuel flowing. But in the meantime, we want to give people another option,” DeSantis said.
About one in three gas stations across the state were still closed Saturday, many of which are unable to operate because they are still without power, causing a bottleneck for those that are open.
DeSantis said that 37 million gallons of gas arrived at Florida ports Saturday.
“We have Florida Highway Patrol that will escort the tankers from the ports to the respective service stations,” DeSantis said.
Law enforcement members help a motorist that ran out of fuel while waiting for in line for gas at a depot Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Plant City, Florlda. Gas stations are slow to reopen after the effects of Hurricane Milton.
Chris O’Meara / AP
Tensions boiled over at one gas station north of Tampa Saturday over the long wait times.
“They were fighting, like fist fighting,” Tootie Jones, a gas station security guard, told CBS News. “One girl hit another girl with a car.”
In the community of Brandon east of Tampa, one woman said she had been waiting in line for gas for two hours.
Milton killed at least 23 people when it tore across central Florida on Wednesday, flooding barrier islands, ripping the roof off the Tampa Bay Rays’ baseball stadium and spawning deadly tornadoes.
Officials say the toll could have been worse if not for the widespread evacuations. Overall, more than a thousand people had been rescued in the wake of the storm as of Saturday, DeSantis said.
A member of the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office goes out to help residents trapped in their homes as waters rise after Hurricane Milton caused the Anclote River to flood, Oct. 11, 2024, in New Port Richey, Florida.
AP Photo/Mike Carlson
The still-fresh devastation wrought by Hurricane Helene just two weeks earlier probably helped compel many people to flee.
“Helene likely provided a stark reminder of how vulnerable certain areas are to storms, particularly coastal regions,” said Craig Fugate, who served as administrator for the Federal Emergency Management Agency under President Barack Obama. “When people see firsthand what can happen, especially in neighboring areas, it can drive behavior change in future storms.”
More than 1.2 million customers in Florida remained without power Saturday evening, according to Find Energy. The White House said 50,000 workers, many from across the U.S. are working to restore power.
CBS News traveled Saturday the hard-hit community of Valrico east of Tampa, where floodwaters swallowed up entire neighborhoods.
Terry Rudd and his family are just now returning to see what’s left of their home.
“This is going to be a mess here to try to rebuild,” Rudd said.
The Rudd family lost a car, and the floor of their home is caving in.
“We’re gonna cry, we’re gonna cry a lot after this,” family member Tiffany Nagy said. “The love we have in this family will always be there.”
Homeowner Robert Turick, 68, left, and storm waste removal contractor Sven Barnes work to clear debris that storm surge from Hurricane Milton swept from other properties into Turick’s canal-facing backyard, in Englewood, Florida, Oct. 11, 2024.
AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell
Many Florida residents, meanwhile, were grateful to be coming back alive.
“I love my house, but I’m not dying in it,” Fred Neuman said Friday while walking his dog outside a rest stop off Interstate 75 north of Tampa.
Neuman and his wife live in Siesta Key, where Milton made landfall Wednesday night as a powerful, Category 3 hurricane. Heeding local evacuation orders ahead of the storm, they drove nearly 500 miles to Destin on the Florida Panhandle. Neighbors told the couple the hurricane destroyed their carport and inflicted other damage but Neuman shrugged, saying their insurance should cover it.
About 30 miles north in Zephyrhills, a CBS News crew joined the Pasco County Fire Rescue team as they waded through the water to ensure everyone got out of their homes safely.
“These are all brand new homes. These were all built within the last year and a half to two years, so they obviously went a little higher on the ground for them and they’re good still but … the original homes in this neighborhood are suffering the consequences of the three hurricanes,” a rescuer told CBS News.
The golf course community has faced flooding from hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton, leaving the already saturated ground with little room to handle even more water.
Lee and Pamela Essenburm evacuated their home in Palmetto, on the south end of Tampa Bay, fearing Milton might hit as a catastrophic Category 4 or 5 storm.
“I wasn’t going to take a chance on it,” Lee Essenbaum said. “It’s not worth it.”
On Saturday, President Biden approved a disaster declaration for the state of Florida that makes federal funding available to affected individuals in the following counties: Brevard, Charlotte, Citrus, Clay, Collier, DeSoto, Duval, Flagler, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Indian River, Lake, Lee, Manatee, Marion, Martin, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns, St. Lucie, Sumter, and Volusia and the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida.
Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses and other programs to help people and businesses recover after Milton.
“This is ridiculous. We need power out here. We need help out here,” said Mia Watson, a resident of Palm Beach Gardens.
Tornadoes wrought unexpected damage
Tony Brazzale, a diving boat captain who has lived for 10 years in his Wellington home in southeastern Florida, wasn’t worried about Hurricane Milton. The storm’s center was forecast to land on the opposite side of the peninsula and then cross the state well to the north of his family.
But on Wednesday afternoon as the hurricane began to pummel the state, he stood outside his house and watched as a tornado loomed in the sky. He took a video on his phone. The pressure dropped, and his wife said her ears were popping. It was time to go inside.
Tony Brazzale removes part of a tree felled by a tornado from in front of his house in Wellington, Florida, Oct. 11, 2024.
AP Photo/Stephany Matat
The twister shattered windows in the home, tore off roof shingles, ripped a tree from the ground and left branches and other debris scattered in the yard. Two days later Brazzale was wearing safety goggles and using a chainsaw as he cleaned up the damage.
“The hurricane was a nonevent for us,” he said. “Had it not been for an F-3 tornado, the entire thing would have been a nonevent for us.”
It was one of dozens of tornadoes spawned by Milton that hit South Florida far from where the storm made landfall near Sarasota. One of them killed at least six people in Spanish Lakes Country Club Village near Fort Pierce, about an hour’s drive north from Wellington.
Meteorologists believe there may have been at least 38 tornadoes associated with Milton. The National Weather Service is still reviewing preliminary reports, which could take weeks, but it issued 126 tornado warnings in the state the day the hurricane hit.
Neighborhoods destroyed by tornadoes are seen in this aerial photo in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, Oct. 10, 2024, in Fort Pierce, Florida.
AP Photo/Gerald Herbert
When the review is complete, the storm could crack the all-time top-10 list for most tornadoes caused by a hurricane.
One of those twisters narrowly missed Tom Perusi’s home, but it easily tossed his boat.
“We went into the bathroom, our concrete bathroom and stayed there,” he told CBS News. “And with the whole shook it, just everything shook. And when we got out, I took it serious. I thought I was all ready. I was ready for everything, not a tornado.”
Gov. Ron DeSantis warned people to not let down their guard, however, citing ongoing safety threats including downed power lines and standing water that could hide dangerous objects.
“We’re now in the period where you have fatalities that are preventable,” DeSantis said Friday. “You have to make the proper decisions and know that there are hazards out there.”
FORT PIERCE — A dog was rescued Thursday morning from the rubble of a home hit by a tornado spurred by Hurricane Milton at a retirement community with some help from a CBS News Miami crew.
A resident found Lulu the Shih Tzu at the Spanish Lakes Country Club Village, a 55-and-older retirement community near Fort Pierce.
CBS News Miami reporter Morgan Rynor was on the scene while appearing live on “CBS Mornings” when the pet was found.
A neighbor who found the dog in the debris originally confused her with another pup in the retirement community named Benji, who actually was safe with its owners.
“I cannot believe I am starting this right now with some happy news,” Rynor said during the morning segment.
“He got Benji. He got Benji. Oh my goodness,” she continued, seconds after the neighbor found the dog.
Lulu had gone missing Wednesday night after tornadoes hit the community. On Thursday, the dog was taken to a veterinarian to be checked out and was treated for skin infections.
On Thursday, the dog was taken to a veterinarian to be checked out and was treated for skin infections.
CBS News Miami
Two people in the house died, the neighbor told CBS News Miami.
Victor Linero, who lives in Indian River County, later confirmed to CBS News Miami his grandfather, Alejandro Alonso, and the man’s girlfriend, Mary Grace Viramontez, were the owners of the 14-year-old dog. Linero will become the dog’s new owner.
Lulu’s owner Alejandro Alonso.
Victor Linero
Lulu has a dog sibling, a Rotweiller named Shiba, who also was in the home at the time. The family thought the other dog didn’t make it out but later Thursday they got a call Shiba was found alive.
After her report on “CBS Mornings,” Rynor said, “My photographer Brian [Shanahan] heard faint barking in the distance and right away our minds went to the worst.”
“We said, there’s no way that there is a dog in the huge pile of debris behind us,” she said.
“Even though we were about two minutes from our 7:30 [a.m.] live shot, we decided Benji was more important,” Rynor said.
“So we ran to the pile of debris,” she said. “We started searching and then one of the neighbors came over and the neighbor says ‘He knows Benji.’”
The neighbor started calling Benji’s name and Lulu seemed to recognize the voice.
He said 12 confirmed high-strength tornadoes tore through the area within 20 minutes.
More than 100 personnel, including from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Florida Highway Patrol, National Guard and the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission, were on the scene. Some went door-to-door in the community to conduct search and rescue operations.
They called off their search and rescue overnight because of bad weather conditions but resumed the search in the morning.
“Every possible thing we can do is being done to search the area. Check the residences and, if there is anyone inside the residences, we’re going to work through the storm to get them out,” Pearson said.
In some areas, homes are such great a risk that they’re too expensive to insure — if private insurance is even available at all.
How much does the average person spend on home insurance?
Home insurance premiums are intended to be cheaper than what it would cost to rebuild your home after a disaster or major damage. That cost is based on numerous factors, including home size and claim history, but it’s also based on location — and as extreme weather events driven by climate change bring a greater risk of floods, severe storms, hurricanes and heat waves, among other things, that location matters more than ever.
Bankrate has found that the average cost of dwelling insurance, which covers the actual structure of your home should it need to be rebuilt, is $2,285 per year in the U.S. for a policy with a $300,000 limit. But that cost is still rising.
“From 2017 to 2022, homeowners insurance premiums rose 40% faster than inflation,” a June report by the Bipartisan Policy Center says. “…For millions of households already struggling to make their mortgage payments, these monthly insurance costs are a significant burden. They can also put homeownership out of reach for prospective first-time homebuyers.”
The range of homeowners’ insurance costs is widespread. In Vermont, Bankrate data shows that people pay an average of $67 a month for a $300,000 dwelling limit, while in Nebraska, the most expensive home insurance state, people pay an average of $471 per month — an annual policy that amounts to more than $3,300 above the national average.
Other parts of insurance coverage are not included in these amounts, such as other structures, personal property and loss of use, which are typically listed as coverage B, C and D, respectively, in coverage policies. And depending on your location, you may also need separate deductibles for wind or storm damage, will likely be determined based on a percentage of your dwelling coverage.
“While inflation has slowed down since its peak in June 2022, insurance rates are reactionary,” Bankrate said in its September report. “The cost of home insurance is still increasing due to the impact inflation has had on the previous losses experienced by the insurance company, the elevated cost of building materials and the high likelihood of future extreme weather-related losses.”
Home location matters for insurance costs
Across the U.S., people are dealing with risk of earthquakes, tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, wildfires and severe storms across the seasons. In California, which, as of Sept. 17, is battling six active wildfires, the growing risk of such events has left some areas “essentially ‘uninsurable‘,” according to researchers at First Street Foundation, a nonprofit that studies climate risks. The group found that about 35.6 million properties — a quarter of all U.S. real estate — are facing higher insurance costs and lower coverage because of climate risks.
That combination also devalues their properties.
San Bernardino County, which accounts for six out of the 10 worst ZIP codes in the state for insurance non-renewals, is also among the most at-risk of natural hazards and climate change, according to FEMA. The county in Southern California is currently combatting both the Bridge and Line Fires, which combined have burned more than 93,000 acres.
The fire risk in California — which has also been battling the historically large Park Fire for nearly two months — is now so high that both Allstate and State Farm have paused sales of property and casualty coverage to new customers in the state.
“The cost to insure new home customers in California is far higher than the price they would pay for policies due to wildfires, higher costs for repairing homes, and higher reinsurance premiums,” Allstate told CBS News.
AAA is also opting out of renewing some policies in Florida, a state that has seen increasingly devastating impacts of flooding and hurricanes. Without private insurance offers, it’s up to insurance policies made available by the government, such as the the National Flood Insurance Program, to assist.
It’s not just an issue for coastal areas and wildfire-prone states. In fact, the most impactful weather events are those that do not get categorized with names.
The Insurance Information Institute found in a May 2020 report that severe convective storms — thunderstorms — “are the most common and damaging natural catastrophes in the United States.” Tornadoes are often a product of those storms, and Nebraska, the most expensive home insurance state on average, was impacted by five of the top 10 costliest U.S. catastrophes involving tornadoes, according to the report.
There have already been 20 billion-dollar disasters nationwide so far this year, as of Sept. 10, with 14 of those involving severe weather or tornadoes.
This map shows the confirmed billion-dollar weather and climate disaster events that have already occurred in the U.S. in 2024.
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
But Bankrate has also found that more than a quarter of homeowners say they aren’t financially prepared to handle the costs that come with it.
And it’s not just homeowners. While last year was not the worst year for overall U.S. insured losses due to extreme weather, it was the worst year since at least 2014 for losses due to severe storms ($59.2 billion), according to data by AON.
Renters are feeling those impacts as well.
Between 2020 and 2023, multifamily housing development insurance rates increased by an average of 12.5% annually, according to a June report by the Bipartisan Policy Center.
“One affordable housing provider, National Church Residences, saw its property insurance premiums increase by over 400% in the six years leading up to 2023, along with higher deductibles and reduced coverage,” the report says. National Church Residences provides affordable housing and independent and assisted living to seniors.
Last fall, NDP Analytics surveyed 418 housing providers across the U.S. who operate a combined 2.7 million units, including 1.7 million affordable housing units. They found that nearly a third of them saw premium increases of 25% or more from 2022 to 2023. To handle those costs, over 93% of respondents said they’d have to increase their deductibles, decrease operating expenses and/or increase rent. More than half said they would need to limit or delay investments in housing stock and projects.
How to lower home insurance costs
The driver behind extreme weather events — rising global temperatures largely fueled by the burning of fossil fuels — is not going away anytime soon. The continued release of greenhouse gases that trap heat within the atmosphere will continue to heat up the planet for thousands of years to come, even if overuse of those gases stopped today, which means that there are still decades to come of worsening climate disasters putting lives and homes at risk.
But home insurance is a game of measuring risk, and there are things you can do to better protect your home that could help lessen the blow of future weather disasters.
According to Massachusetts insurance agency C&S Insurance, resilient home features can make an impact on premium pricing. Storm shutters, reinforced roofing and flood barriers can all help lower the risk of damage to your house, and therefore, your wallet.
NerdWallet says that elevating your home’s water heaters and electrical panels, developing wildfire-resilient landscaping and installing fortified roofing are among the things homeowners can do to reduce the impacts of flooding, fires and wind, respectively.
The Council on Foreign Relations, an independent nonpartisan organization, says that more government regulations on where and how homes can be built can also help reduce the costs. The group says that stopping taxpayer dollars for buildings in high-risk areas and more investment in natural infrastructure, such as wetlands and trees, can also help reduce impacts from storm surges and heat.
Li Cohen is a senior social media producer at CBS News. She previously wrote for amNewYork and The Seminole Tribune. She mainly covers climate, environmental and weather news.
Add tornadoes, wildfires and floods to the already lengthy list worries for U.S. homeowners.
More than a quarter of homeowners (26%) say they are not financially prepared to handle the costs if extreme weather damages their home, according to a new report from Bankrate. Among those polled, 14% reported they are somewhat unprepared and 12% say they are very unprepared, the personal finance site found. The findings come as hurricane seasonreaches its peak.
People who are “unprepared for that kind of climate risk intersecting with the amount of unknown risk that exists in the country is really alarming in a lot of ways,” Dr. Jeremy Porter, head of climate implications research at First Street, a firm that studies climate risk, told CBS MoneyWatch.
The Bankrate survey provides a snapshot of homeowners’ financial position in a climate landscape where summers are becoming hotter, hurricane season more active and wildfires more destructive. As billion-dollar climate disasters become more common, homeowners will have to absorb part of the cost via higher insurance rates, weather-proofing strategies and repairs.
In the Bankrate survey, 15% of homeowners said they would not be able to pay their insurance deductible without going into debt if their home was damaged in an extreme weather event.
Geographically, people in the the South (29%) and West (28%) reported the greatest degree of financial vulnerability to extreme weather, the survey found.
“People living in the South are more likely to have home policies, so they’re going to have to pay the biggest amount, and their earning potential is actually lower,” said Shannon Martin, an analyst at Bankrate.
Changing insurance market
It’s no secret that the insurance market is going through a rapid transformation. Insurers like Allstate and State Farm are withdrawing from states prone to fires and coastal flooding or opting to raise their premiums, making homeowners’ coverage less affordable.
Porter said rates are likely to rise in the future given that insurers hasn’t fully priced climate-related costs into the real estate market. “There are more increases to come in terms of additional costs of even homeownership,” he said.
According to Bankrate, 7% of those polled said they do not have homeowners insurance. That figures rises to 15% for people earning less than $50,000 annually. According to the Insurance Information Institute, 12% of homeowners went without insurance in 2022.
How to protect your property
Understanding your risk is important, experts say, especially given that dealing with extreme weather is unprecedented territory for most Americans.
“Homeowners may also face the risk of hazards they have not faced in the past,” said Andrew Kruczkiewicz, a senior staff associate at the National Center for Disaster Preparedness, part of Columbia University’s Climate School.
Of those polled by Bankrate, 43% said they had not taken any steps in the past five years to protect their home against property damage due to dangerous weather, while just 9% of homeowners had invested in weather-proofing measures.
By contrast, more homeowners are at least aware of the growing risks, Martin said. “What this survey told me is that more people are kind of paying attention to what’s happening in terms of extreme weather.”
According to Bankrate, 39% of homeowners said that they reviewed their auto or home insurance policy to ensure they have the proper level of coverage.
“It seems like such a simple and basic thing, but it’s honestly the first step that everyone should take,” Martin said.
Martin recommends calling your insurer or finding a time to meet with them in person to review your policy. Something like fire or flooding may be covered one year and not the next, she said.
Martin also said people should check out Risk Factor from First Street and Climate Check, tools that allow users to look up their property and view extreme weather risk. “
You can look there and understand the smaller, more affordable things you can do to your house to make sure that you’re protecting yourself against those types of damages,” Porter aid.
Getting out while there’s still time
In some cases, mitigation strategies simply won’t cut it. Over those polled in Bankrate’s survey, 7% said they ultimately moved to a lower risk area to reduce the risks of extreme weather.
The trend is relatively small at this point, said Porter. “I would expect in the near future, we won’t see any mass macro level migration.” Still, more and more people are taking risks into consideration and making climate informed decisions, he added.
Joe Printz, a New York-based wine shop owner and former restaurateur, is one of them. Printz closed on a home in Napeague Harbor, on the South Fork of Long Island, New York, in early 2021. Just three years later, he and his partner are already considering selling it for fear it might one day be underwater.
Made of six repurposed steel shipping containers fit together Tetris style, Printz ‘s home, nicknamed the “Beach Box,” is a formidable force against extreme weather. “I’m telling you, a tidal wave would probably only knock out the windows,” he said.
But even the sturdiest of materials may not stop it from getting pummeled by a flood. If past storms are any indication, water from the ocean, only two and a half blocks away in the case of Print’s property, will find its way.
A local coastal resiliency report predicts there’s a 60% chance a 100-year coastal flood will hit that part of Long Island in the next 30 years and that sea level rise could transform East Hampton into a series of islands as early as 2070.
Printz doesn’t want to take any chances. “We are going to fix up our house. We’re going to live in it for three or four more years and probably sell it,” he said.
PORTICELLO, Sicily — Rescuers searching the wreck of a superyacht that sank off Sicily brought ashore a fifth body on Thursday, leaving one person still unlocated, as investigators sought to learn why the vessel sank so quickly.
Rescue crews brought the body bag ashore at Porticello port while divers continued the search for the sixth missing person.
No signs of life have emerged over four days of searching the yacht’s hull on the seabed 50 meters (164 feet) underwater.
The Bayesian, a 56-meter (184-foot) British-flagged yacht, went down in a storm early Monday as it was moored about a kilometer (half mile) offshore. Civil protection officials said they believe the ship was struck by a tornado over the water, known as a waterspout, and sank quickly.
The six missing passengers included British tech magnate Mike Lynch, his 18-year-old daughter and associates who had successfully defended him in a recent U.S. federal fraud trial.
MELROSE, Minn. — The National Weather Service confirmed a tornado touched down in a small central Minnesota town Saturday night.
The EF-1 tornado struck Melrose shortly before 9 p.m. with wind speeds reaching up to 95 mph.
WCCO
The National Weather Service is currently surveying the damage. No injuries have been reported so far.
Severe storms worked their way through Minnesota Saturday afternoon and evening, bringing hail and damaging winds to much of the state. The tornado in Melrose was the only one reported in Saturday’s storms.
This is a developing story. Updates will be posted as they become available.
Riley Moser is a digital producer who covers breaking news and feature stories for CBS Minnesota. Riley started her career at CBS Minnesota in June 2022 and earned an honorable mention for sports writing from the Iowa College Media Association the same year.
Baby formula maker Reckitt said supplies of some of its nutrition products are likely to be affected by a tornado that damaged one of its warehouses in Mount Vernon, Indiana.
Reckitt, a British consumer goods company, owns Mead Johnson Nutrition, the maker of Enfamil baby formula products. Reckitt on Wednesday said that the tornado, which struck on July 9, caused “significant damage” to the warehouse, which the company called “an important site for the Mead Johnson Nutrition business.” The facility, which is operated by a contractor, houses both raw materials and finished products.
A cluster of at least four tornadoes whipped up by the remnants of Hurricane Beryl barreled through Indiana’s southwestern corner, with winds up to 140 mph.
The twister that hit Mount Vernon and other parts of Posey County grew to about 300 yards wide and left a trail of damage nearly six miles long, collapsing much of a warehouse, derailing train cars, damaging mobile homes and ripping roofs off homes.
While Reckitt said that it regained access to the warehouse on July 13, the facility is not yet operational. In the meantime, all inbound deliveries have been diverted to other warehouses in the U.S., the company said.
That could mean temporary shortages of some of its baby formula products in the near future. Mead Johnson told CBS MoneyWatch that supplies of some of its nutrition products “will likely be affected in the short term.”
“We are partnering with customers and suppliers on expedited recovery efforts to minimize disruption by leveraging our global supply chain and managing inventory at our other U.S. warehouses,” Mead Johnson added in a statement.
Reckitt is still assessing the damage to the warehouse and said it would provide on update on its quarterly earnings call on July 24.
Reckitt also said the weather event will affect the company’s short-term sales. The company is “working closely with all our stakeholders including customers and suppliers, to minimize disruption, by leveraging our global supply chain and managing inventory at our other North American Nutrition warehouses and held by our retail partners,” the company said.
Reckitt added that it expects its property damage and business interruption insurance policies to mitigate the impact of the temporary facility closure on company earnings.
Parents and caregivers around the U.S. faced a severe shortage of infant formula in 2022 as the pandemic disrupted global supply chains. Compounding the problem was the closure of a Sturgis, Michigan, plant operated by Abbott Nutrition, a major manufacturer of baby nutrition products, because of bacterial infections.
Megan Cerullo is a New York-based reporter for CBS MoneyWatch covering small business, workplace, health care, consumer spending and personal finance topics. She regularly appears on CBS News 24/7 to discuss her reporting.
NEW YORK (WABC) — Downpours and damaging winds from severe thunderstorms Wednesday night brought down trees across the Tri-State, leading to injuries, transit delays and power outages.
In East Orange, New Jersey, a witness says a man was found unconscious under tree debris in the backyard of a home.
The witness says he tried to assist the victim, who is a young father.
“I heard a crack first, then it hit the building and then it swung over, then the neighbor in the backyard. The next thing you know — it was silent for a second, and then we heard screams from the ladies, then we all ran out and they were saying, ‘he’s under the tree, he’s under the tree,’ so we all ran over there to try and help,” the witness said.
He and other neighbors ran to the trashed backyard to find frantic family members trying to shake the victim awake. Neighbors attempted CPR as they called 911.
Police rushed the victim to the hospital, but it’s not clear what his condition is.
Elsewhere in New Jersey, a large tree landed inches from a big house in Park Ridge. Fortunately, residents were in the home at the time and were not injured.
In Queens, three people were injured, including one critically, after a tree fell onto a car on Duane Road, according to FDNY officials. They say the three victims had to be extricated from the car. They were all taken to North Shore University Hospital.
That wasn’t the only location where trees had fallen on cars. Citizen App video shows a downed tree on car in East New York, Brooklyn, and in Douglaston, Queens.
Video from Citizen.com shows a tree that fell on a car in Brooklyn during storms Wednesday night.
A massive downed tree took up a whole street in Forest Hills, Queens.
Citizen App video shows a massive tree down in Forest Hills amid severe thunderstorms Wednesday night.
Storm damage disrupts mass transit
Mass transit in New York City was also impacted by storm damage.
M train subway service was delayed in both directions while crews worked to remove a tree from the tracks at Forest Avenue.
Metro North Harlem line service was suspended between Valhalla and Hawthorne because of fallen trees on the tracks near Valhalla.
An LIRR train from Penn Station New York to Port Washington was canceled due to a downed tree on the tracks near Bayside, while several NJ Transit rail lines had service impacted by downed trees and other weather conditions.
Tri-State power outages
The severe weather also led to thousands of power outages in New York and New Jersey.
Connecticut reported over 30,000 customers without power Wednesday night.
What else to expect overnight
While the main threats of this storm were expected to be damaging wind and hail, a brief tornado couldn’t be ruled out.
Lee Goldberg has an update on the fierce storms barrelling through the Tri-State.
The rainfall totals are expected to be range from half an inch to an inch, but there could be localized heavier amounts that could lead to some areas of flash flooding.
The rain is expected to move out by sunrise Thursday. After the storms move through, Thursday will be more comfortable with a drop in humidity and lower temperatures.
ALSO WATCH | Thunderous lightning caught on video on Upper West Side
Video captures a thunderous lightning strike on the Upper West Side.
Two tornadoes touched down in Montgomery County, Maryland, Wednesday night, damaging at least four houses and injuring at least five people, according to Montgomery County Fire and Rescue.
This page contains a video which is being blocked by your ad blocker. In order to view the video you must disable your ad blocker.
Dash cam captures footage of tornado in Gaithersburg, Maryland
At least two tornadoes touched down in Montgomery County, Maryland, Wednesday night, damaging at least four houses and injuring at least five people, county officials said Thursday morning.
Firefighters were called to 88 emergencies last night, 35 of which were related to the storm, the department said in a news release.
During a press conference, Director of the Office of Emergency Management & Homeland Security (OEMHS) Earl Stoddard said the damage could have been worse, with about 15 tornadoes touching down across the state of Maryland Wednesday. The National Weather Service and OEMHS are still confirming the exact number of tornadoes with ground assessments.
“At peak we had about 1,000 power outages across the county. We’re down to a couple 100 at this point and those will come back online,” Stoddard said. “There are a number of crews out this morning doing work removing trees from roadways, and from power lines as well. So that work will continue.”
He also warned residents to be careful as they cleaned up their yards and homes, reminding everyone to stay away from downed power lines and call emergency services for help before dealing with a potentially live wire.
When it comes tornado warnings and phone notifications, Stoddard said the wireless emergency alerts are sent out to all cellphones registered with regional cell towers and that the Montgomery County alert system works directly with the National Weather Service.
“We had a lot of people asking questions, saying ‘oh, I didn’t get tornado warnings where I’m at.’ Well, actually, they’re very geo-located,” he explained. “So that it’s a very seamless process that goes quickly… very minimal mistakes can happen.”
7News First Alert Meteorologist Brian van de Graaff reported that there were 22 tornado warnings Wednesday, which is the fourth most in one day since 1986.
‘I was kind of terrified’: Harrowing moments when tornado hit
Residents in the Deer Park neighborhood of Gaithersburg are left to pick up the pieces after a tornado ripped through the area Wednesday night, toppling trees onto homes and injuring at least five people.
The twister hit Gaithersburg around 7:35 p.m. and left a trail of debris, structural damage and power outages in its wake.
On Holly Drive in Deer Park, trees slammed into multiple homes, including Jorge Majano’s.
“I heard the hard rain. I was like, ‘Wow, that’s pretty rough.’ And then once I hear everything flying around, and then I hear stuff banging on my window, I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh.’ And then a tree hit my roof, and then I hear a loud pop, a big thud, like boom!”
Majano said that boom was the sound of another tree hitting the front of his house.
“I was kind of terrified, because I was like, ‘What do I do now? Do I die?’” Majano said. “I stayed inside and then the firefighters knocked in and they told me to get out right away, and I did.”
Majano was uninjured, but just blocks away, on Dogwood Drive near Tulip Drive, the occupants of another home weren’t as lucky.
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service personnel responded to that location around 7:55 p.m. Wednesday for the report of a downed tree that caused a building collapse, trapping five people in the home, according to Assistant Chief David Pazos.
“An enormous hardwood tree, I mean the root ball on this has got to be over eight, nine feet tall. And this tree collapsed on the house during the height of the storm,” WTOP’s Dick Uliano reported from the scene of the home in the 400 block of Dogwood Drive.
This enormous hardwood tree came down on the roof of this house on Dogwood Lane. The 400 block near Tulip. Five people were trapped one person has traumatic injuries all five taken to the hospital. @WTOP pic.twitter.com/X1CUPBNteC
It took crews about 20 minutes to work around “pretty significant damage” and rescue the occupants of the home, fire department spokesperson Pete Piringer said.
“They were trapped under a lot of debris and a large tree on top of them,” he said.
Firefighters also assisted people out of homes on nearby Rolling Road. Power was knocked out in the area and the destruction extended beyond houses.
“There is a lot of damage in this part of Gaithersburg, specifically on the east side of town. A number of streets are impassable. It took a while just to get over here — twisted wires, large trees down and, again, some structural damage,” WTOP’s Dave Dildine reported from the scene.
Outages
WTOP’s Dick Uliano contributed to this report.
Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.
“I just thought it was a regular lightning storm, and then I heard a big whistle, like a train,” Johnson said. “I looked out the window and I could see the funnel.”
Johnson yelled at his wife and children to get on the floor. Seconds later, the shed was lifted off the ground.
“It picked us up about 20 feet in the air, swung us around once or twice and slammed the whole building on the rooftop,” Johnson said. “It’s hard to explain. It was very scary.”
The shed landed upside down, leaving the family outside completely unprotected as furniture, tree limbs and other debris was flying around. They all ran to Johnson’s father’s house, which was nearby, and took shelter in the basement.
Wreckage caused by a tornado in Culpeper County, Virginia, on Sunday, May 26, 2024. (Courtesy Lawrence Johnson and Brandy Walters)
According to the National Weather Service, the tornado was an EF-1, which means it had peak winds around 95 mph.
It carved a path about 100 yards wide and nearly five miles long.
“The tornado touched down along Dunkard Church Road, a third of a mile west of Eggbornsville Road in rural, northwest Culpeper County,” according to the National Weather Service. “Several trees were snapped and uprooted in multiple directions.”
All five family members are recovering from injuries and said they are bruised, battered and traumatized.
“It’s nothing short of a miracle that we’re alive,” said Johnson’s wife, Brandy Walters. “It was destruction. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Walters described the moment the tornado lifted them up into the air as being “the weirdest feeling.”
“It felt like we were floating for a minute, and then we flipped over,” Walters said.
Wreckage caused by a tornado in Culpeper County, Virginia, on Sunday, May 26, 2024. (Courtesy Lawrence Johnson and Brandy Walters)
Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.
CYPRESS, Texas – If there’s one word to describe what happened in the Bridgeland neighborhood on Thursday, it would be destruction.
Several homes in the recently constructed neighborhood in Cypress are questionable to even be repairable.
On Thursday, an EF-1 tornado eyed up the community, packing a punch that is forcing families to find another place to live for the foreseeable future.
The winds from the tornado—which peaked well over 100 miles per hour—were strong enough to pick apart houses, throw wooded planks like projectiles, and pierce whatever was in their path.
Damage from an EF-1 tornado along Longhorn Point Drive in the Bridgeland neighborhood of Cypress, TX on May 18, 2024. (Copyright 2024 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.)
After the winds calmed, families walked outside to find their homes were destroyed and their roofs missing.
“We were all in here,” said David White, while showing KPRC 2′s Gage Goulding where he waited out the storm. “Four dogs. Me, my wife and my 16-year-old. We’re sitting on cushions and blankets in here, and it was vibrating, and I was holding on to them. And I was thinking, ‘If this is it, at least we’re going together.’ It was very scary.”
The White family is one of several that can no longer live in their home.
Actually, David and his crew managed to escape their safe place just in the nick of time.
David: “The drywall got wet and collapsed.”
Gage: “You look at this. You look at the room that you sheltered in, and yet your family’s still here. How lucky do you feel?”
David: “We count our blessings, because that’s the most important thing.”
He’s not alone. Two doors down, 16-year-old Alejandro Marrero is also thankful for his guardian angel.
“You know God’s here,” he said.
He rode out the tornado in a closet with his mother and grandmother. All walked away without a scratch.
Alejandro: “I walked outside of the bathroom and then ran into the closet.”
Gage: “Do you feel lucky to be alive?”
Alejandro: “Yeah. But I’m also lucky that my mom and grandma and everyone else here is alive.”
Damage from an EF-1 tornado along Longhorn Point Drive in the Bridgeland neighborhood of Cypress, TX on May 18, 2024. (Copyright 2024 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.)
While some of the families here are left to pick through the pieces, others are already back to normal daily life with their electric back.
How did their power get turned on so quickly?
This is likely because the community is newer and has its utility lines buried underground.
Copyright 2024 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.
KPRC Storm Tracker 2 intercepts a tornado near Cypress, Texas on May 16, 2024. (Gage Goulding, Copyright 2024 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.)
HOUSTON – As a line of severe weather moved towards the Houston metro area, the KPRC 2 Storm Tracker was out keeping you updated with live traffic conditions.
For several minutes both the crews in the Storm Tracker and the meteorologists back at the KRPC studio used this real-time information to help warn others in the direct path of the tornado.
Watch the full video here:
Copyright 2024 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.
