Civic Center Damage Not Fully Evaluated Yet
KSST News has learned from Civic Center staff that a large portion of the roof over the auditorium was peeled off of the building allowing rain water to pour in onto the stage. A roofing company is on the way to evaluate the damage and hopefully cover the missing portion with tarps to stop the leaking. As more rain approaches the Hopkins County area, staff members are worried that there could be more damage. Although a decision cannot be made on upcoming events as of yet, we will keep you posted on when and where the events may take place. The Ardis Center of Performing Arts is the next event to be held in the Civic Center Auditorium this coming weekend. Other events are scheduled after that, including the Dairy Festival Pageant in later June. Every effort is being made to get the damage assessed and decisions made on the quickest and safest way to get the auditorium back in use. Civic Center staff and board members were on hand Tuesday morning.
A section of the Civic Center roof removed by storm from auditorium roof, landing on opposite side of Civic Center.
Crews Continue to Repair Storm Damage
From power lines to street signs crews continue to restore Sulphur Springs.
Replacing signs near Airport.
Cleanup on College St.
Cleanup on College St.
Cleanup on College St.
Service Rent-All Alternate Phone Numbers
With folks all over the county trying to clean up from the storm, or save the items in their freezer, Service Rent-All has been a very popular business today. Unfortunately, their phone lines are still not working at their Sulphur Springs location. Below are Alternate phone numbers to reach them at the Sulphur Springs Store or their other locations. The Sulphur Springs store is arranging for additional generators to be brought in to try and meet the demand.
Sulphur Springs Store
(903)348-1924
(903)243-4776
Emory Store
(903)473-2000
Mineola Store
(903)638-6903
City Opens Clean Up Dump Site Following Storm Damage
The City of Sulphur Springs is opening the Spring Clean up dump site for green waste (trees, limbs, etc) from Monday’s storm damage according to City Manager Marc Maxwell. Maxwell said the site will be open each day this week from 7 a.m. until 4 p.m. for city residents only. You will need to take identification and a recent water bill from the city.
Residents are asked to tie down brush that is halled to the disposal site. He stated green waste would be piled up and burned.
The disposal site is located east of Flowserve.
Regular Schedule for SSISD Tuesday
At 5 a.m. Tuesday morning, SSISD Superintendent Mike Lamb said Sulphur Springs schools will open on time today and will conduct a regular schedule for the day. Although much of the city and county was without electricity due to downed power lines, the start of the school day will not be affected. Buses will run their normal schedule and classrooms at the various schools will be open at their regular times.
This school year the SSISD had to make up two of the three missed winter bad weather days. The local school has this week and next before the end of the school term and dismissing for summer break.
Hospital Not Damaged; Used Generators Briefly
Monday evening ended with a reminder of peace and beauty. A rainbow arched across the southeastern sky as the storm clouds continued their eastward trek across the state.
Specific storm damage stretched from the Sulphur Springs Airport on Highway 19 to Joe Bob’s Convenience Store on Church Street. Hopkins County Memorial Hospital, although in the path of the storm, did not sustain damage. For a short time the Hospital did use a generator for power backup. The generator worked well in sustaining the hospital’s needs according to CEO Michael McAndrew.
Joe Bob’s sustained damage to gasoline pumps while the roof of Cub Cadet on Highway 19 was peeled back. Around Outdoor Power Products on Airport Road tree limbs and trees were down blocking roadways. At the airport the copula on the terminal and the sign were blown down. Airplanes were moved about by the 50-60 mile per hour winds.
No sirens sounded during the storm. The emergency warning sirens only automatically sound with 70 mph winds or are manually intitiated due to a tornado.
Almost all of the city was without power and much of the surrounding rural areas. Although Monday’s tornado watch was cancelled almost two and one half hours early, thunderstorms continued to roll across the area.
Backyard Hanger In Yantis Area Obliterated by Monday Storm
A backyard aircraft hangar is (was) located two miles north of Yantis on Hwy 154 was obliterated but the plane (a Breezy) seems undamaged. The plane had just passed it’s annual inspection Monday morning and was tied down and covered inside the hangar.
Three of the poles to which the plane was tied were broken off at ground level and tossed around, but not far enough to take the plane with them. The beam over the 40 foot doorway was twisted and ended up with one end underneath the tail of the plane.
The plane belongs to Ben Scarborough and Julian and Michael Robbins.
“Update” Large Number Rural Power Outages As a Result of Monday’s Storm
Approximately 4,000 homes in Hopkins County were without electrical power as of 7:40 p.m. Monday evening. Over 2,000 in the Arbala, Reilly Spring, Shirley area were without power. Between Sulphur Springs and Dike, some 1,075 were without electrical power. Smaller numbers in the Martin Springs area and Como area were without power.
Some of the homes in Martin Springs Community reported having been without electricity prior to the storm. One caller told KSST that they had been without power beginning at 5:05 p.m. Many were anxious for power to be restored but due to outages in Hopkins, Hunt, and Rockwall Counties progress will be slowed.
In the Brashear area County Roads 1119, 1110, 1117, 1112, 1115 are closed. A tree was on fire near a barn in the Brashear area.
“Updated” Memorial Day Storm Report
Tree and power pole damaged by strong thunderstorm. Photo by Chad Young.
As of 6:50 p.m. Monday evening, 6,000 Sulphur Springs residents were without electrical power. By 7:30 p.m. Oncor reports there are 7,000 electric meters in Sulphur Springs without power. According to David Collier with Oncor, all electrical power in the city will not be restored by Tuesday morning. Oncor has pledged to work through the night and continually until the problem is solved according to City Manager Marc Maxwell.
Electrical power outages, power poles and power lines down, buildings with substantial roof damage, roadways blocked by downed trees and flood waters, these were just some of the results of a line of severe thunderstorms with winds in excess of 50 miles per hour that moved through Hopkins County and the city of Sulphur Springs Monday afternoon between 4:30 and 5 p.m. Monday afternoon a tornado watch until 10 p.m. was issued for Hopkins and surrounding counties. Around 4 p.m. the National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm watch for Hunt and Hopkins Counties until 5:15 p.m.
Reports began coming into KSST with a caller whose car was being shaken by high winds on Hillcrest Dr./State Highway 19. Power outages were reported on Pampa, Alabama, Davis, and Broadway south of Walmart, Brinker, Lee, Houston, and Putnam streets in Sulphur Springs. Also power outages reported at Rocky Ridge, and other areas.
Airplanes parked at Sulphur Springs Airport damaged by strong thunderstorm. Photo by Chad Young.
At the Sulphur Springs Airport, two crop dusters were blown into fuel trucks. The copula was blown from the top of the
terminal and the sign was blown down. The roof on the Cub Cadet building was peeled back and near Outdoor Power Products, trees and limbs cluttered the roadways. Trees were also across the road ways in Yantis and throughout Sulphur Springs.
Old Borden Plant damaged by strong thunderstorm. Photo by Chad Young.
Metal roofing material was scattered along Oak Avenue near Martindale Feed. Damage was also done to the gas pumps at Joe Bob’s Convenience Store near Memorial Hospital. Eye witnesses said they saw a tornado at the Joe Bob’s location and in the Mahoney area where large Oak trees were down.
