PHOTO: It could take well into this week to clear all the downed trees and debris in one East Texas city, slammed by tornadoes this past Friday night.
Longtime residents say nothing like this had ever happened in the small community of Hughes Springs, and they are still trying to process the scope of what hit them.
Firefighters gathered at Hughes Springs volunteer fire department to salvage what records and equipment they could from the mangled I-beams and collapsed rooms of their wrecked building.
“It carries a lot of emotions with it too. This was our home for 40 years or so. Of course, it’s sad to see it like this,” said longtime volunteer firefighter John Burson.
Unknown to us at the time of the storm, there was a firefighter at the back part of the fire department building when the tornado hit.
Randy Jones arrived at the station Friday night, preparing chainsaws and emergency equipment expecting to help in damage areas, not knowing what was coming next.