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Reporter-News Archives Thursday, April 15, 1999 Heavy rainfall, hail cause damage in area towns By KEN ELLSWORTH Senior Staff Writer Sweetwater firefighters and policemen formed rescue chains by linking arm in arm in waist-deep water to walk several stranded motorists to safety Tuesday night. Other area towns received varying degrees of rainfall, hail and wind damage. “I’d say we rescued the occupants of about five vehicles and about five times that many vehicles were just stalled out in high water,” said Police Chief Jim Kelley. “But I’m not really sure ‘rescued’ is the right word. We just helped them move to a safer place.” One Sweetwater police officer fell in water up to her waist and was almost carried away by the racing current. “She would have been gone if firefighters had not grabbed her by the arm,” Kelley said. Sweetwater was hit by two storms Tuesday night. “The second one was the dandy,” Kelley said. He estimated that as much as 2.8 inches of rain fell in 10 minutes, causing low-lying streets to flood about 9:30 p.m. The Associated Press reported winds reached 70 mph in Sweetwater. In Roscoe, golf-ball-sized hail broke windows, small tree limbs and windshields and dented vehicles. A funnel cloud passed over the town. “The tornado was reported on the ground between Loraine and Roscoe, but it picked up before it got here. The wind was blowing and it was raining, then it got very quiet as it passed over,” said Jerry Watts, Roscoe’s director of public works. Some city property was also pelted by the hail, including roof damage. “The city shop has skylights, and they were just riveted with holes,” Watts said. Some Roscoe residents reported receiving as much as two inches of rainfall during the 7-7:30 p.m. storm. Hail as large as golf balls also caused damage in Colorado City. Insurance companies reported receiving several dozen reports of broken windshields and dented vehicles. Some residents reported roof damage. The city received 1.5 inches of rain. Loraine was also buffeted by golf-ball-sized hail. Large hail was reported in other locations from the Panhandle to Abilene. Anson reported small hail and 2.25 inches of rain. Eyewitnesses spotted a tornado on the ground near Hobbs in Fisher County, but local officials reported no damage. A roof was blown from a home at Possum Kingdom Lake. The U.S. Army Reserve, Red Cross and Salvation Army were summoned late Tuesday to help up to 150 southeast Midland County residents whose homes were ravaged by hail, rain and wind. “At least 20 homes were destroyed, said Lt. Judy Altom, a Texas Department of Public Safety spokeswoman. About 60 other homes were damaged or left without power. A church there was converted into a command post Tuesday night and is now serving as headquarters for a dozen relief agencies. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Send a Letter to the Editor about This Story | Start or Join A Discussion about This Story Send the URL (Address) of This Story to A Friend: Enter their email address below:  texnews.com Reporter OnLine Local News Texas News Copyright ©1999, Abilene Reporter-News / Texnews / E.W. Scripps Publications

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