Power Outage in Refugio, TX

Power poles were blown down and a trampoline was blown up into a tree on the west side of Refugio.

Widespread moderate structural damage with pockets of major structural damage occurred in Refugio. Most homes and businesses had roof damage, broken windows, and damaged garage doors. Two motels received significant damage to their roofs. Gas station canopies and many signs were destroyed. A few brick structures experienced moderate damage. Numerous trees and power poles were blown down. Roof damage occurred to several churches and every school building in the district except for the athletic facility. The school gymnasiums and auditorium lost portion of their roofs. Several trailer homes and storage buildings were destroyed. There was widespread tree damage with a few very large trees completely uprooted. Widespread moderate structural damage occurred in Bayside, Austwell, and Tivoli. Numerous trees and power poles were blown down including some high tension power poles. In Woodsboro, widespread minor to moderate damage occurred with a few poorly constructed homes with major damage. The elementary gymnasium and auditorium roofs were blown off. Numerous trees and a few power poles were blown down. The Bayside Richardson Coop Gin near Woodsboro sustained major damage and 30 thousand bales of cotton in storage modules were damaged. A sensor deployed by Texas Tech measured sustained winds of 106 mph with gusts to 125 mph just west of Mission Bay before the sensor was hit by debris. Another sensor showed wind speed of 102 mph with gusts to 129 mph north of the intersection of Highway 35 and Farm to Market Road 774 in eastern Refugio County. Around 440 homes were destroyed, around 1050 homes experienced major damage, and 66 businesses suffered major damage. Around 750 homes had minor damage with another 310 homes affected.

Large tree limbs were snapped from south of Woodsboro to northeast of Woodsboro. Limbs were estimated to be up to a foot in diameter. A few power lines were blown down.

Winds caused the roof to lift off a trailer house, downed numerous trees, damaged many fences, and downed power lines in Refugio.