More storms on the way? Thunderstorms bring tornadoes, hail and immense damages to Big Country

The Torres family home on Private Road 6053 in Hodges was one of the houses struck by a tornado Thursday evening in the Big Country.

"We saw a couple funnels shaping up, but we never thought that something like this would come toward us," Joseph Torres said Friday. "We saw it fully outbreak at the corner house down the street, then jump to the house right in front of us."

Severe weather and tornadoes struck the area Thursday night, and another round of storms may be on the way.

Taylor, Coleman, Coke, Jones, Runnels and Concho counties experienced strong winds, hail and tornadoes caused by two supercell thunderstorms starting early Thursday evening.

Although a couple of weak tornadoes developed in the Anson and Ballinger areas, the tornado near Anson developed into a larger and more long-lived tornado which affected the Hodges and Hawley communities, San Angelo National Weather Service meteorologist Amy Campbell said.

The Reporter-News spoke with Jones County Sheriff Danny Jimenez at one of the houses damaged in Hodges by Thursday's tornado.

"We can't really do anything until after the storm subsides. So while it was happening, we tried to find out which way it was going, and if there was damage like this, we are able to come back and do rescue or whatever is needed," he said.

As of Thursday morning, 10 homes were reported damaged, and six of those were completely destroyed, Jimenez said.

The sheriff said there have been no fatalities, and only four injuries reported due to the storms. Both adults and children were reported to be injured and were taken to the hospital.

In Hawley, reports of hail and wind damage have been recorded, Jimenez said.

The NWS reported Jones County experienced baseball and grapefruit-sized hail measuring anywhere from 3-4 inches in diameter Thursday night.

Friday, the Torres family was picking up the pieces in the aftermath of the tornado.

"We've lived in this home about 14 years," Armando Torres said.

Armando lives with his wife Sandra, two sons, Michael and Joseph, and Joseph's girlfriend.

As they finished eating dinner Thursday evening, Joseph said they noticed the clouds and sky darkening so they went outside to watch the storm.

What they saw drove them to take cover in the closets, holding on to each other and hoping for the best.

"It sounded like a freight train coming in, heard the wind whistling and howling, heard the banging of the doors and bricks falling," Joseph said.

The noises lasted about 10 minutes, he said. Then as they heard the wind completely stop, and the rain and hail start falling, they went outside to assess the damages.

"The house was gone. Completely nothing," Joseph said.

As the tornado hit his home with his family inside, Armando said all he could think about was protecting them and praying they would make it through the storm.

"As soon as I reached my wife and my sons, I looked outside, and everything was gone. It was like a bad dream. I kept thinking I'm going to wake up, and everything would be okay," he said.

Instead, Armando, still in shock, stayed up all night as he replayed what happened in his mind over and over.

When news broke of their house being destroyed, phone calls from friends, relatives and Armando's coworkers offering their help and support comforted the Torres family.

Friday morning, nearly 40 people showed up to help clean their property.

"We are so blessed to have a lot of people here to help and rebuild," Armando said.

"God does stuff for a reason, and we just come back better and stronger in the end," Joseph said.

Jimenez said if anyone in the affected area needs help or assistance with water damage, debris pickup or other damages caused by Thursday's storm, they can call 325-823-4607, and a team will come out to help.

A damage survey team with the National Weather Service were in Hodges and Hawley on Friday assessing damage and determining an Enhanced Fujita Scale rating of the tornado, Campbell said.

The San Angelo NWS office was watching for another round of possible storms for Friday evening in the same areas, Campbell said.

Weather forecasts predict an enhanced risk for severe weather throughout the rest of Friday, and a possibility of heavy rains on Saturday.

To stay informed on severe weather for your area, sign up for the city of Abilene's CodeRED weather alerts online.

This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: More storms coming? Tornadoes, hail, wind cause damage in Big Country