Saragosa, Texas, Tornado May 22, 1987 An Evaluation of the Warning System (1991) / Chapter Skim
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1 The Tornado and Its Effects
1 The Tornado and Its Effects
Pages 5-12
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From page 5... ...
Despite efforts to locate those whose homes were destroyed, only three family heads could be located and interviewed; the others had moved out of town. Interviews were also conducted with three adults who were at the community center when the tornado struck; the county surveyor; a deputy sheriff who was involved in the rescue operations; the general manager of the local radio station; the Spanish-language radio operator at work during the evening of the disaster; the general managers of the water, electricity, and telephone companies serving Saragosa; and the clerk of the county court.
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From page 6... ...
The tornado formed about 1 mile southwest of Saragosa near Interstate Highway 10 and moved northeast into town. When the tornado initially
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This sequence is verified by the tornado track and damage pattern, pictures of the tornado moving into town, and eyewitness reports of "three tornadoes moving in a circle." The most intense part of the tornado moved through the central section of town and approached Highway 17, then curved to take a more northnortheast course and weakened slightly. It then followed the highway until lifting.
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From page 9... ...
The tornado developed out of a storm complex that had been active since mid-afternoon over much of Reeves County. Travelers on Highway 17, approaching Saragosa from the north prior to the tornado, reported driving through heavy rain and occasional hail and observed several funnel clouds.
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From page 10... ...
Two of the survey respondents said they saw the official emergency weather announcements on television but were unclear if the warnings applied to them. The vast size and sparse population of Reeves County probably contributed to the ineffectiveness of the announcements in eliciting widespread protective responses.
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From page 11... ...
Absence of Warning on Cable Television The English-language television stations broadcast the tornado warnings. However, the citizens of Saragosa acquired cable television service only 5 months earlier.
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From page 12... ...
would have been more appropriate. It would be a significant improvement if emergency weather announcements could be translated and made a part of disaster preparedness programs available to Spanish-language radio operators throughout the country.
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