Arlington tornado cleanup continues on Thanksgiving. Here are resources for help.
Families and officials alike continued to assess extensive damage in a swath of Arlington hit by a tornado on Tuesday night.
About 25 families displaced by the storm remained in the Red Cross’ emergency lodging Thursday. They were given Thanksgiving dinner provided by Applebee’s, Red Cross North Texas communications manager Lisa Morgan said.
The National Weather Service conducted damage assessments in the area along Mayfield Road and Pioneer Parkway, where most of the damage was concentrated. The Waterdance Apartments, Mirage Apartments, Colorado Square Apartments and Garden Park Apartments in east Arlington were hit hardest.
A full damage report of the area was still being written Thursday, but the National Weather Service said Thursday morning that the EF2 tornado carried winds of up to 115 mph and had a path length of 5.04 miles. The tornado had a width of 150 yards at its largest point and lasted about seven minutes. Five people were injured. The city’s outdoor warning siren system was activated at about 9 p.m. due to a tornado warning.
While the twister lasted less than 10 minutes, the destruction it wrought was visible from several main roads in Arlington. At 1 p.m., residents loaded what remained of their valuables into cars outside the Waterdance Apartments on North Collins Road. A family filled their trunk with paintings and decorations. Some cars in the parking lot were splattered in mud and covered with black tarps.
Most of the damage was concentrated along Mayfield Road and Pioneer Parkway between Bowen Road to the west and State Highway 360 to the east, the city said in a press release Thursday. Collapsed wooden fences, broken windows, torn off roofs and caution tape lined North Collins road. A few blocks into neighborhoods on either side of the road appeared undamaged, evidence of the destructive but narrow path of Tuesday night’s storm.
Public Works and Transportation crews cleared debris from streets, while Oncor and Atmos worked to restore power and natural gas to affected neighborhoods.
If you have debris or damage at your home, call the Arlington Action Center at 817-459-6777
For those with damage, here’s what the city says about the cleanup:
- Arlington will place dumpsters in the hardest-hit areas to assist property owners with cleanup.
- Residents can begin placing bundled fence panels, limbs and brush at their curbside for pickup.
- Superintendent Dr. Marcelo Cavazos urges parents of Arlington ISD students who need help because of the storms to reach out to their campus principal or the Arlington ISD Student Outreach Services team at studentoutreach@aisd.net for assistance.
- Tree limbs and fence panels will be picked up curbside on regular trash collection days at a rate of 1 cubic yard per service day until everything has been collected.
- Tree limbs and fence panels need to be cut into 4-foot or smaller sections and placed into bundles weighing no more than 50 lbs.
- Republic Services will pick up storm debris at a rate of 1 cubic yard per collection day and will continue to pick up as much as possible on subsequent collection days until all debris is gone.
- Shingles cannot be collected at the curb. If you are having your roof repaired, it is the responsibility of the contractor to haul and dispose of roofing shingles. You may also haul these directly to the Arlington landfill for free by using one of your three annual landfill coupons. You can also use your coupons to take debris straight to the Arlington landfill (800 Mosier Valley Road, Euless.) Please call the Action Center at 817-459-6777 before visiting the landfill to ensure your drivers license is correctly linked to your water bill account to prevent any issues redeeming your coupons at the scale house.
- For larger jobs, residents can contact Republic Services directly at 817-317-2000 to schedule a chipper service. Please be advised there is a fee for this service.
- Contractors should haul debris directly to the Arlington Landfill.
- For repairs such as reroof, electrical, etc, Planning and Development Services department will offer expedited review on all permit applications. The applications are to be made online at ArlingtonPermits.com.
