JACKSBORO, Texas — It only took seconds for an EF-3 tornado to tear up the City of Jacksboro in North Texas.
Police Chief Scott Haynes said it was around 90 seconds, and he came out to dark skies. He and the Jacksboro ISD superintendent rushed to Jacksboro Elementary School, knowing many children and faculty were there.
When they arrived, there was debris scattered across the parking lot, parts of the roof and walls were damaged, and several cars were overturned.
“This is going to be bad,” said Chief Haynes.
For him, the fear was pending, not knowing if the students and staff were okay.
There were also many parents who were waiting in their cars to pick up their children. The school staff got them inside to take shelter before the storm quickly blew through.
Chief Haynes estimates 375 to 425 people were hiding in the hallways of Jacksboro Elementary School. When he finally reached the crowd, he felt relief knowing everyone was safe.
“One of the first students that I ran into literally grabbed me by the leg and hugged up on my leg,” he said.
Down the street, Jacksboro High School was also heavily damaged. Principal Starla Sanders hid with three students and seven teachers. She sent everyone else home before the storm, and it was a move that saved lives.
As the tornado struck, a lot was on Sanders’ mind.
“I was kind of at a crossroads. I was at the high school trying to protect my students and my staff that were up there. But then my heart was about a mile down the road with my two boys,” said Sanders.
Her children were part of the group taking shelter at Jacksboro Elementary School.
It was a relief when Sanders received the news that everyone was safe. But after a day of chaos, she drove home and it was severely damaged. Debris was scattered across her yard. The roof above her master bedroom was blown off. She worries her house is not salvageable.
Sanders is grateful that the storm took only what can be replaced, and left unscathed the people in her community.
According the school district, structural engineers were on both the elementary and high school campuses to assess the damage and make sure the building is safe. The goal is to reopen school for learning by Monday. Although both gymnasiums and parts of the school will be unusable, academic classes were not damaged.