Powerful winds leave trail of damage across the Big Country

ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) — Strong winds battered the Big Country overnight and into the day, leaving a trail of damage across Abilene and surrounding areas.

The severe weather didn’t just shake people awake in the early morning hours—it caused significant damage. Gusts exceeding 65 miles per hour tore through the region, battering many structures in Abilene and beyond. Our studios received numerous reports of weather-related incidents throughout the day. One such report came from Oak Street resident Allan Holder, who shared details of the damage he witnessed in his neighborhood.

“We’ve already had trees come down in the neighbor’s yard. That wind blew the street sign off the top end stop sign, and when we saw it happen, I had run out there in the middle of the street and got it. I called Abilene Police Department, let them know, and told them it’d be in my house and that they’d send somebody by to get it,” Holder recalled.

Flying street signs and tipped-over trash barrels were the least of the damages. In Merkel, residents had to evacuate when a carport blew over the downtown area and severed power to local businesses.

A similar incident occurred in Abilene when the wind took a carport from a home, finally settled it vertically in a back alley, and it was leaning up against power lines.

Over on Burger Street in north Abilene, Sharon Garcia and her husband Joe’s routine day was interrupted when the roof of their home suddenly lifted off its supports and flew into the street. Sharon Garcia described the event as similar to an earthquake and continued by saying,

“It was wicked, very wicked. We were sitting here, I’m eating my breakfast, and all of a sudden we heard a loud noise, and we heard it hit the road.”

Though the winds eventually died down, the damages left behind are a staunch reminder of what could happen when severe weather strikes.