AUSTIN, Texas — Governor Greg Abbott issued a Disaster Declaration for both Bell County and Williamson County on Thursday after storms ripped through parts of Central Texas on April 12.
Both counties saw heavy rain, damaging winds, very large hail and several tornadoes were reported in Central Texas that night. The most notable of the tornadoes hit Salado. It was rated an EF-3 after damage was surveyed on Wednesday by the National Weather Service. The tornado is classified as strong and severe with possible windspeeds between 136 mph to 165 mph, per the NWS website.
Bell County Judge David Blackburn said in a news conference that the tornado left significant damage, including damage to 63 structures, including 61 homes and two churches.
The Governor's Office is encouraging people affected by the storms to report their damage to the Texas Division of Emergency Management's iSTAT survey. That can be found at damage.tdem.texas.gov .
Bell County issued a Local Declaration of Disaster earlier this week.
Judge Blackburn told property owners that if they were impacted by the storm, they could call 254-534-4562 for assistance. He said those who answer will help connect them to the right people Mondays to Fridays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Blackburn said property owners may be able to get funding to help offset the costs of damage caused by the tornado. He said that won’t be known until data regarding damage is fully collected. He said issuing the disaster declaration, however, is a step in the right direction to possibly help with the county attaining those funds.
If you’d like to help those who were impacted by the tornado, you can call 254-534-2217. This is also the number to call to make donations.
