Dallas Area Residents Thankful Storm Damage at a Minimum

The storms that blew through North Texas early Tuesday cut a damaging swath with heavy rains and strong winds across northern Dallas county and the neighboring suburbs. Today, residents are surveying the damage and are somewhat thankful, for they realize things could have been much worse. Mostly superficial damage was reported, and no major injuries were known to local authorities. The storms mostly affected north Dallas and its suburbs, while areas south of downtown saw only some rain.

In his Richardson home, Greg Sheridan witnessed the storms' incredible straight-line winds first-hand. "They winds weren't really gusting; they were pretty sustained, about 60 or 70 miles an hour. It was really strong. There are branches down all over the neighborhood, including a really large one that partially blocked our street," he said. "Really, it could have been worse."

The winds also tore off shingles from Sheridan's roof, as well as most of his neighbors. Metal weather stripping dangles from the tops of many homes. According to Sheridan, his insurance company is already overburdened. "I couldn't even get a live person," he said. "I had to leave a message and they said they would get back to me." Sheridan did not lose power, but he was luckier than many other area residents.

At the Village at Timberglen apartments off of Marsh Lane in Carrollton, storms knocked out power for nearly twenty-four hours. Residents, including dozens of children on summer vacation, spent their time outdoors and around the pool in an effort to stay cool. When power was restored at 1 a.m., an audible cheer could be heard throughout the complex as residents returned to the comfort of their air-conditioned homes.

In a statement released by Brenda Pulis of Oncor Electric Delivery, 85,000 metroplex residents were without power as of 4 p.m. Tuesday. By Wednesday afternoon, that number was down to 14,000 and a total restoration of power was done by the end of the day. Local residents got a reprieve of sorts from the weather on Wednesday, as a second front expected to come through lost strength and fell apart north of the Metroplex.

Many area residents were left having to clean up the mess on their own. According to the city of Dallas, because the storms were not widespread, there would be no organized clean-up by the city, nor would there be additional pick-ups for branches and debris. Dallas residents who did request a pick-up outside of their scheduled monthly time would have to pay a charge of at least $70.

Sources: Oncor Electric Delivery, City of Dallas