Destructive Tornado Rips Through Texas Panhandle Town, Officials Report Fatalities

A view of a damaged site in Perryton as the town was struck by a tornado, in Texas, on June 15, 2023, in this screengrab obtained from a social media video. Sabrina Devers via TMX/via Reuters

Local officials say that at least three people are dead and more than 100 injured by a destructive tornado that swept through the northern Texas town of Perryton on Thursday afternoon.

The northern Texas town has suffered considerable damage in the northern and eastern sections, according to Perryton Fire Chief Paul Dutcher.

He told a local ABC News affiliate that the tornado trailer houses have been demolished, and communication towers have been toppled. One of the fatalities was in a mobile home park that Dutcher said took a “direct hit” from a tornado. ABC7 Amarillo reported that three tornados were seen touching down.

Gov. Greg Abbott has directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) to deploy state emergency response resources to provide support and assistance to protect Texans impacted by the tornadoes.

“I encourage all Texans to heed the guidance of state and local officials and to take all necessary precautions to protect yourselves and your loved ones,“ Abbott said in a statement. ”We remain ready to quickly provide any additional resources needed over the course of this severe weather event.”

The TDEM has mobilized several state resources to aid in the response to the tornadoes in Perryton, according to Abbott’s office. Road crews from the Texas Department of Transportation are tasked with supporting traffic control and monitoring road conditions. A response team from Public Works will assist in the restoration of water, wastewater, and other utilities.

Emergency medical crews have also been dispatched in strike teams to provide urgent medical help while Urban Search and Rescue teams have been activated to help in rescue operations.

Game Wardens from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department have also been mobilized to aid in the response efforts, along with saw crews from Texas A&M Forest Service and Incident Management Teams.

Crews from power provider Xcel Energy are assisting in removing lines from cars and across the roads, the company said in a statement.

“We are patrolling the transmission feeds into the city and also assessing possible damage at the main substation in town,” Xcel Energy stated. “One of the three main transmission feeds into the city was apparently undamaged, but we deenergized it for safety reasons.”

“It’s bad, it’s very bad. It’s non-stop crazy. It couldn’t have hit in a more vulnerable place,” Mayor Kerry Symons said by telephone, adding that he would be unable to say how many people had died until Friday morning.

Perryton is a town of around 8,000 people. Its local hospital, Ochiltree General, had yet to receive any dead, according to Debbie Beck, the hospital’s chief financial officer. But she said some people with life-threatening injuries were transferred to larger medical centers in Amarillo.

Injuries ranging from scratches to a collapsed lung were treated at the hospital in Perryton, Beck said. She did not know how many had been transferred to Amarillo.

This is a developing story. Reuters contributed to this report.