Tornado Events - April 3, 2012 - DFW Area

[mSooner]

Nice update!

[Acntx]

Originally Posted by mSooner

Nice update!

Thanks. I appreciate it.

[Acntx]

A continuation of my previous update.

I have followed the progress of this particular house since July:
July 19, 2012 – Old, damaged structure


October 16, 2012 – Framing for the new stucture


November 29, 2012 – Framing mostly complete, workers on-site


Two restored homes in the Colonial Estates subdivision




Another restored home on Brookhaven Drive


Since the first homes built after the tornado were completed, it has been interesting to see how homeowners have chosen to restore their properties. Most have rebuilt their homes on the footprint of the old structure, like the house in the first photo. As shown in the second and third photos, others have opted to build new homes that are larger (or in the case of the third photo, significantly larger) than what had previously existed.






Properties like this house, untouched since April 3 and awaiting demolition, are constant reminders of the storm's impact on the neighborhood. As more time has passed and the recovery continues, there are just a few homes in this state of disrepair that remain.

[Acntx]

With the one year mark less than two weeks away, I wanted to update everyone on the tornado damaged areas. New homes are still being built, but many were completed in the late fall and winter months.

November 29, 2012 - This house was in a state of disrepair for the longest time. I was surprised to find a new house being built on the property.


March 22, 2013


July 19, 2012 - Brookhaven Drive at Town North Drive.


March 22, 2012 - Brookhaven Drive at Town North Drive.


I took this picture in the summer of 2009 for my Lancaster Photo thread. This house was destroyed on April 3, 2012.


March 22, 2013 - A newly-constructed house on the property.


I've had a few health issues this month, but I do plan on snapping a few more pictures before April 3, 2013.

[mSooner]

Very neat to see!

[TXNGL]

Thank you for the update. Hope you are feeling better very soon!

[Acntx]

Thanks, mSooner and TXNGL. The area is recovering faster than I thought it would.

[BstYet2Be]

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Can't let today go by without noting that it is the anniversary of this DFW tornado outbreak of last year - the weather channel today has been showing the infamous video of the tracker trailers being tumbled in the air - still unbelievable to this day, along with the damage incurred in Arlington and the rebuilding recovery progress since then. Nothing shown on the Lancaster area damage, so great coverage and updates furnished by you, Acntx, above... very much appreciated!

See: 1 Year Ago: Dallas-Ft. Worth Tornado Outbreak - weather.com

Here's to a much calmer spring season this year - take care all!
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[little elmer]

The auto repair business sure took off last spring, and we're hoping for more this year. Nobody gets hurt but the insurance companies pay out the nose!

Bring it on!

[Acntx]

Originally Posted by BstYet2Be

.
Can't let today go by without noting that it is the anniversary of this DFW tornado outbreak of last year - the weather channel today has been showing the infamous video of the tracker trailers being tumbled in the air - still unbelievable to this day, along with the damage incurred in Arlington and the rebuilding recovery progress since then. Nothing shown on the Lancaster area damage, so great coverage and updates furnished by you, Acntx, above... very much appreciated!

See: 1 Year Ago: Dallas-Ft. Worth Tornado Outbreak - weather.com

Here's to a much calmer spring season this year - take care all!
.

Thanks for the compliment, BstYet2Be! I really appreciate it.

Aside from seeing the tornado from my back window, there are a few more things about April 3, 2012 that will always stick with me:

1) Gardening in my front yard early that morning. I knew there was a chance of storms that day, so I wanted to finish the work before the storms came. Never thought I would see the yard littered with 2x4s, insulation, roof shingles, and branches a few hours later.

2) How quiet the tornado was as it approached while taking shelter in a closet. I've always heard that a tornado would sound like a freight train, but all I remember is the stillness interrupted by storm debris hitting the house. Even though tornadoes are life-threatening events, oddly I never feared for my life. I was scared but always felt that I would be okay. I expected my house to be extensively damaged, but other than a blown down fence, it was untouched.

3) Laying in bed that night with no electricity, a lantern for light, and listening to a battery-powered radio reporting on the damage without a clue of how widespread or extensive it had been beyond our neighborhood. When the lights came on the next morning, I just sat in awe of the devastation that occurred throughout the DFW area.

4) Seeing the hardest hit areas a few streets over from me for the first time and thinking our area would never fully recover. I thought we would have areas that where concrete slabs would outnumber new homes, but thankfully I was wrong. While there are still a few homes yet to be demolished and several vacant lots where homes once stood, most residents chose to stay in the neighborhood and rebuild. Quite a few homes are still under construction or nearing completion, so a lot of progress has been made over the past 12 months.

Thanks to all the posters on this forum who followed the recovery process and commented on my photos. Hopefully before the month is over, I can add a final set of photos to this thread.

Out of all of the videos I've seen, this is the only one I found that captures the exact moment when the tornado hit my neighborhood. At about 1:40 of the video is when I believe the storm was closest to my house. Still gives me chills to watch this.