Jacksboro residents band together after tornado causes major damage, knocks out power
The glow from the Dairy Queen on North Main Street late Monday night in Jacksboro gave way to darkened streets illuminated only by the blinking hazard lights of residents’ trucks parked along the road to check on their neighbors.
Lifelong resident Mitchell Isbell, 56, came from across town to check on his sister and niece whose house on Bryan Street was damaged in Monday’s tornado. One niece’s white SUV flipped upside down in her front yard.
This was the first tornado Isbell had ever seen in Jacksboro, which is about 60 miles northwest of Fort Worth.
Most of the town had power as of 10 p.m. Monday.
The worst damage was along North Main Street where the suspected tornado ripped the roof off Jacksboro High School. Damage also was reported at Jacksboro Elementary School, and KXAS reported damage at the Jacksboro Animal Shelter.
There were no reports of injuries in the town as school officials told KDFW-TV they were able to get students and staff into storm shelters before the severe weather hit.
Neighbors late Monday helped clear debris using chainsaws to cut tree limbs and neatly stacked them on the sides of residential streets.
Isbell set up a generator on Bryan Street that neighbors were able to run extension cords to.
One neighbor was bringing blankets to his mother’s house to keep her warm. The low Tuesday morning is forecast to drop to about 42 as a cold front swept through the area in the wake of Monday’s severe storms.
A shelter has been set up at the Twin Lakes Activity Center, at 1114 Texas 59 in Jacksboro, city police said on social media.
In Bowie, about 45 miles to the northeast in Montague County, significant damage to homes and other structures was reported Monday. Rescue crews were searching to see if anyone was injured.
Bowie City Manager Bert Cunningham told the Associated Press that the worst damage was east of the town, with as many as four entrapments reported. He had no immediate reports of injuries.
This story was originally published March 21, 2022 at 11:12 PM.
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