Father killed, wife and children injured after severe storm hit Wise County home
A father of four was killed when severe storms tore through his Wise County home over the weekend.
Family members identified the victim as 52-year-old Juan Madrid of Runaway Bay. Madrid worked as a landscaper and lived at the Wise County home for 20 years along with wife Gloria Avina and their four children, according to the webpage of a fundraiser organized to help the family recover.
Avina and two of their children were also injured when the EF-2 tornado hit their home Saturday night.
The Madrid family lost their home, pet and everything they owned in the storm, the post read.
The tornado reached peak winds of 135 mph and caused major damage across Runaway Bay, officials have said. Six others were injured and more than 25 families were displaced from damaged homes, according to Wise County Judge J.D. Clark.
“Any support you can offer as the Madrids recover and rebuild is deeply appreciated. 100% of proceeds will go to the family as they rebuild,” the fundraiser post reads.
The second tornado death happened near Springtown in Parker County where a 69-year-old woman was also killed when a tornado struck her mobile home. The National Weather Service later determined the damage there was caused by an EF-1 tornado.
Clark issued a disaster declaration, and churches in Springtown opened as cooling centers, and the American Red Cross was working to establish longer-term shelter. Residents with damage were asked to complete a state damage assessment survey at damage.tdem.texas.gov.