Mayor Ivy Taylor declared a State of Disaster in San Antonio late Monday, as 'the first step in potentially securing state and federal resources' to deal with the four tornadoes that slammed into the city late Sunday and early Monday, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
"I spent several hours surveying the damage in different neighborhoods near the Quarry and was amazed to see roofs ripped off homes, only to be found mangled in branches several doors down and 50 year old trees uprooted and toppled on tops of cars," the Mayor said.
The disaster declaration will help free up state and federal funds for the rebuilding effort, especially to rebuild public property damaged by the tornadoes.
The National Weather Service has issued a report on the four tornadoes that hit the metro during the storm flurry.
The first tornado was the worst.
The 'Ridgeview, Alamo Heights' tornado, an EF-1 with peak winds of roughly 105 miles an hour, hit at 10:36PM, and ran from roughly the San Pedro Driving Range at San Pedro and Basse, on a more than 4 and a half mile track to the northeastward.
With a path 300 yards wide, it plowed through several neighborhoods, downing trees and causing significant damage to homes, condos, and buildings, before ending near Loop 410 and Starcrest.
Next was the Northern Hills Tornado. It hit at 10:43PM and also had peak winds of 105 miles an hour. It ran about one and a half miles through northeast Bexar County, and is blamed for badly damaging 40 homes in the Camelot and The Glen neighborhoods, and downing trees along several streets in the area.
The third storm, the Glen Heights Tornado, hit about the same time with 80 mile an hour winds, striking an area southwest of Universal City.
The last tornado to hit the metro hit at 11PM. The Schoenthal Ranch Tornado hit near Garden Ridge and did relatively minor damage.
CPS Energy says crews have been working all night, but still report about 5900 power outages to homes and businesses, mainly on the hard hit northeast side inside Loop 410.
City crews from the Solid Waste, Transportation and Capital Improvements, and Parks and Recreation have already begun driving through hard hit neighborhoods in San Antonio, and similar programs are underway in Bexar County neighborhoods.
They are checking homes for damage, and picking up brush and other debris which has been piled on yards and accumulated on berms. The brush and debris pickup will continue through March 3.
Meanwhile, Chris Pilcic of State Farm in Texas, the state's largest homeowners insurance company, says claims calls have begun to pour in. Damage from the storm in Bexar County is expected to surpass $100 million.
"Right now my concentration is in the northeast sector of San Antonio," he said. "Everything from total losses to roofs and shingles damage. Rough morning for northeast San Antonio."
It is estimated that 150 homes sustained significant damage in the storms, with many more homes suffering minor damage and damage to tree limbs.
PHOTO: KELLY MORRIS