Friday 9 p.m. update:
Press release: Updates 9 p.m.
Updated numbers on Bryan tornado damage, based on Red Cross designations:
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.), and 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.
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 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.
From the National Weather Service in Houston:
Per our survey team: Bryan/Wheeler Ridge tornado was a high end EF-1 tornado.
Friday 5 p.m. update on the aftermath of the Bryan tornado:
Tornado damaged areas of Bryan remain off limits, as efforts continue to restore power and remove debris.
Police Sgt. Jason James says 138 single family homes were damaged or destroyed by the tornado. That number will go up because the figure does not include additional damage from flooding as well as counting the number of other residential structures and businesses.
James said using standard Red Cross designations for disaster areas, 4 homes were “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 had minor damage, and 24 were 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.
James says power could be restored to the area on Saturday. 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.
James says the police presence will continue until it is deemed appropriate to withdraw. There have been no law-enforcement issues in the affected areas and BPD asks for patience from citizens as they continue to control access to certain areas.
James says 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.
As of the time of this update, James had not heard from the National Weather Service representatives about the strength of the tornado.
Click below for comments from Jason James, visiting with WTAW’s Bill Oliver.
From the city of College Station:
A culvert failure caused by Thursday’s heavy rain will require a section of Greens Prairie Road West to be temporarily closed between Regal Oaks Drive and Sweetwater Drive.
Brazos County crews are making repairs, which are expected to be finished by the middle of next week.
For additional information, contact Brazos County Road & Bridge Department at 979-775-7400.
From the city of Bryan:
The City of Bryan Pools will not be open for Memorial Day Weekend due to the severe weather the city has experienced. The amount of rain has caused the pools to be chemically imbalanced, along with other maintenance issues, forcing the pools to remain closed throughout the weekend.
The Sadie Thomas Pool Grand Opening has been rescheduled for Saturday, June 4, 2016, at noon. Henderson Harbor and Sue Haswell Pool will also open on Saturday, June 4 for summer recreation hours.
Bryan Aquatic Center is scheduled to reopen on Tuesday, May 31.
From the Bryan school district:
Bryan ISD Schedules June 3rd Make-up Day for Elementary Schools & MC Harris, Middle and High Schools will not complete a make-up day.
Elementary campuses & MC Harris: Students and staff will attend classes on Friday, June 3rd at their regularly scheduled times.
Middle and High school campuses: Only staff will be required to attend on Friday, June 3rd.
Severe weather throughout Bryan on Thursday prompted district officials to close schools Friday in the interest of safety. The closure allows families affected by tornado damage and flooding time to recover.
As a result of cancelling school Friday, May 27, the make-up day will be Friday, June 3rd. Elementary schools and bus routes will operate on a regular schedule. Middle and high school students do not attend class (with the exception of MC Harris).
The reason for this decision is based on House Bill 2610, a state law recently passed by the 84th Legislature. This law now requires schools to provide 75,600 minutes of instruction, which middle and high schools will have met by year’s end. Elementary school campuses and MC Harris fall short of that requirement and are required to make-up the school closure day.
From the Navasota school district:
Navasota High School and W.B. Bizzell Academy Graduation Commencement MOVED to Texas A&M
The 2016 Graduation Ceremony for Navasota High School and W.B. Bizzell Academy is being moved to Rudder Auditorium on the campus of Texas A&M University. Commencement will begin at 8:00 p.m. and doors will open for family and friends beginning at 6:30 p.m. Rudder Auditorium is located across the street from Kyle Field and connected to Rudder Tower. All students will ride district transportation to graduation and will need to report to the High School cafeteria by 6:00 p.m. Students will be bused to Rudder Auditorium and may leave with parents after graduation. Transportation will be provided back to Navasota for students after graduation if needed.