Report: 153 homes damaged in Bryan by EF-1 tornado

The City of Bryan has worked with the Red Cross to assess the damage of the tornado that struck the Wheeler Ridge, Tiffany Park, and Miramont neighborhoods.

Here are updated numbers on the tornado damage in these neighborhoods:

153 homes damaged

5 destroyed -- (total or complete collapse or entire roof gone)

53 sustained “major damage” — (meaning large portion of roof structure missing or damaged, or walls damaged significant, etc.)

72 sustained “minor damage” – (meaning minor roof damage, broken windows, some siding missing, etc.)

23 were “affected” – (meaning that damage is more cosmetic than anything)

These reports are for single-family residential homes only. They do not include flooded properties, vehicles, fences, trees, infrastructure, etc. They also do not include commercial or infrastructure costs.

The designations used are standard Red Cross designations for disaster scenes.

Other updates:

-- Central Baptist Church shelter has closed, and all evacuees have been placed into hotels.

-- Bryan Police Department asks residents and visitors in Wheeler Ridge to not park on the street between 8 a.m. and Noon, Saturday, May 28, to allow for bulk debris and brush removal.

-- The BTU feeder line has been energized, and BTU crews are slowly bringing power on-line in the Wheeler Ridge, Tiffany Park and Miramont neighborhoods. This process will continue throughout the overnight hours and into Saturday, May 28.

Twin Oaks Landfill offers extended hours -- Twin Oaks Landfill will be open extended hours to assist with storm cleanup efforts on Saturday, May 28, 2016. The Landfill will be open until the last cleanup truck comes into the facility, anticipated to be around 4-5 p.m.

The Landfill will also be open on Memorial Day from 7 a.m. – 5 p.m.

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The National Weather Service has rated the Bryan tornado as a "high end EF-1" with winds up to 110 mph.

The tornado was an estimated 50 yards wide, with a path length of 1.9 miles, as it crossed Highway 6 and into the Wheeler Ridge neighborhood.

The tornado officially touched the ground at 12.32pm Thursday and lifted at 12:37pm.

No serious injuries or deaths were reported.

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The City of Bryan has worked with the Red Cross to assess the damage of the tornado that struck the Wheeler Ridge, Tiffany Park, and Miramont neighborhoods.

These three communities sustained significant damage from the May 26 tornado. Here is a breakdown of the damage numbers:

-- 138 homes damaged

-- 4 “destroyed” -- (1 in Miramont, 3 in Wheeler Ridge)

-- 44 sustained “major damage” -- (meaning large portion of roof structure missing or damaged, or walls damaged significant, etc.)

-- 66 minor damage

-- 24 affected (meaning that damage is more cosmetic than anything)

These numbers are expected to rise and these reports are for single-family residential homes only. They do not include flooded properties, vehicles, fences, trees, infrastructure, etc. They also do not include commercial or infrastructure costs.

The designations used are standard Red Cross designations for disaster scenes.

BTU mobilized all of their crews and some contract crews yesterday, and crews have been working around the clock to repair damaged BTU infrastructure.

A feeder line that serves Wheeler Ridge, Tiffany Park, and some other buildings on the east side of Bryan, was damaged. Houses in the affected areas must be assessed house-by-house to make sure that there is a safe situation when BTU crews re-energize the feeder line.

BTU crews must ensure that every “service” line to individual homes is safe for them to re-energize the feeder line. There has been a lot of damage for the service lines, and many houses are too damaged to have service restored.

Crews are continuing to work to restore service.

The Bryan Police Department has had a presence in the affected areas, and will have a presence in these areas until it is deemed appropriate to withdraw. There have been no law-enforcement issues in the affected areas and the Police Department asks for patience from citizens as they continue to control access to certain areas.

The Police Department would also like to thank its members and members of the College Station Police Department for their work and help during this event.

Moments after the Wheeler Ridge disaster, fire crews were on the ground. Members of the Bryan Fire Department immediately started searching more than 50 houses, looking for people with injuries.

By 8 p.m. Thursday night, more than 80 calls for emergency services had been received and 30 were water rescues.

Other communities, including Navasota, Washington County, and College Station were called in to help. At 4 p.m. Thursday, the Bryan Fire Department requested boat crews from Texas Task Force One. Crews from Austin, Fort Worth, San Antonio, and Kileen responded.

Crews from Austin will be in the area overnight and extra units are being staffed.