Johnson County, TX homes hit by storms

[TexasStooge]

By YOLANDA WALKER / WFAA-TV

JOHNSON COUNTY, Texas - The stormy weather that swept through North Texas Monday evening left its calling card on Johnson County.

Residents in Joshua, just south of Fort Worth, experienced some damaging winds and heavy rain around 5:00 p.m. Authorities said it was straight-line winds, but it certainly looked like a tornado tore through homes on Linda Court - and residents said it sure sounded like one.

"It sounded like 50 guys jumping up and down on the roof," said storm victim Tim Mankins. "It was just all the stuff hitting the roof, though."

Mankins lives next door to the home that was the worst one hit. Insulation from the roof collapse covered the front yard like snow, and the back was also a mess. The whereabouts of the children's playground equipment is anyone's guess.

"They're all gone," Mankins said. "I have no idea where they went."

Firefighters helped board up homes to secure them for the night, while American Red Cross volunteers tried to meet the homeowners' needs.

"Yeah, this is pretty bad for this area," said Red Cross volunteer Debbie Hanks. "I was in Mississippi right after Ivan hit, and it's pretty much like the same type of damage that we saw there - only on a smaller scale."

"This doesn't happen to us, you know," said storm victim Maria Ibarra. "This is December - we need ice, we need snow ... not tornadoes."

Ibarra drove through the storm and arrived home to find her garage blown in - and the damage doesn't stop there.

"A lot of the shingles are gone," Ibarra said. "There's a hole on the south side where the kids' rooms are, and big rubble all over the house. I'm just in shock."

The spring-like storm in December blew in like the Grinch, and took with it some holiday cheer.