80 mile-per-hour winds snap trees at Horseshoe Bend
By DAVID LOWE Staff Writer

PHOTO BY JIM LOWE A large tree at the Tommie Taylor residence on the north end of Dana Drive was devastated by straight-line winds Thursday. A travel trailer Taylor planned to sell also was damaged. See related photos, page 9.

Winds of almost 80 miles per hour blew through the Horseshoe Bend neighborhood Thursday evening, caving in a travel trailer roof and knocking down several trees.

Storm spotter Tommie Taylor, who operates the Lampasas Weather Station on the Internet, clocked north-northeast winds at 79.9 miles per hour at his home on the north end of Dana Drive.

"It ruined my travel trailer," Taylor said. He added that in his 13 years in the neighborhood, he has seen damage from other storms. But, said Taylor, "This is the worst."

"It was straight-line winds," Taylor said.

The Lampasas resident said he had been working on his travel trailer -- cleaning and waxing it -- and he had it for sale, and a potential buyer was to have looked at it the following day.

As he surveyed a large tree nearby that was broken like a match stick and his trailer covered with large tree branches and thick leaves, Taylor said, "I can't believe it."

Winds also tore off a tin roof from an overhang covering a riding mower in Taylor's back yard. Part of the tin landed in Taylor's front yard and another chunk flew on top of the roof of his utility and game rooms.

Less than 100 yards from Taylor's house, Bob Franks found large limbs littering his yard on Chris Avenue. About half of his 13 pecan trees fell, Franks said, and a hackberry tree split during the storm, knocking out electrical service.

Winds also damaged a riser for the service connection and left a service line hanging.

"I can reach out and touch it," Franks said.

Trees crashed to the ground on both sides of the Lampasan's house, but his home was undamaged.

"I was really happy it didn't hurt my house," Franks said. "I just don't know how in the heck it happened."

Lightning hit power poles in the neighborhood, knocking out electricity on one street for a couple of hours.

PHOTOS BY JIM LOWE Strong winds hammered a Bradford pear tree on Chris Avenue during a storm that struck the western part of town.

City crews spent about 10 hours in the neighborhood Thursday night and into Friday morning trimming low-hanging limbs and restoring power, Public Works Director Randy Clark said. Workers were to continue picking up broken pecan limbs and other debris across town early this week, Clark said Friday.

Jim Lowe also contributed to this report.

Although trees crashed to the ground on both sides of Bob Franks' house, his home was undamaged in the recent wind storm. Powerful winds uprooted a tree that had been a part of the landscape at Bob Franks' residence for years.