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POWDERLY, Texas - New videos show scenes of devastation in the aftermath of powerful tornadoes that touched down in Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas on Friday. At least eight tornadoes were confirmed by survey teams from the National Weather Service, and two of those have been rated an EF-3 with winds near 160 mph. Tornadoes are ranked on the Enhanced Fujita Scale , and a tornado with winds stronger than 136 mph can produce severe damage. In addition, two people are now confirmed dead due to the tornado outbreak.
One person was killed in Morris County, Texas, and the other was killed in McCurtain County, Oklahoma. HOW TO WATCH FOX WEATHER ON TV One video from New Boston, Texas, shows numerous homes and other structures that were damaged or destroyed during the tornado outbreak on Friday. Debris is seen littering the landscape, including downed trees and utility lines, as well as debris from homes that were ripped apart by the powerful tornadoes. Several vehicles were also destroyed, and video shows them tossed around and lying on their sides. AT LEAST TWO EF-3 TORNADOES CONFIRMED DURING DEADLY TORNADO OUTBREAK IN CENTRAL US next Image 1 of 22 prev next Image 2 of 22 prev next Image 3 of 22 prev next Image 4 of 22 prev next Image 5 of 22 prev next Image 6 of 22 prev next Image 7 of 22 prev next Image 8 of 22 prev next Image 9 of 22 prev next Image 10 of 22 prev next Image 11 of 22 prev next Image 12 of 22 prev next Image 13 of 22 prev next Image 14 of 22 prev next Image 15 of 22 prev next Image 16 of 22 prev next Image 17 of 22 prev next Image 18 of 22 prev next Image 19 of 22 prev next Image 20 of 22 prev next Image 21 of 22 prev Image 22 of 22 FOX Weather correspondent Max Gorden has been in Powderly, Texas, in Lamar County, and spoke with several residents who were forced to flee the storms when the tornadoes inched closer. "I talked with one man who said he and his wife got out just minutes before the tornado hit," Gorden said.
"He had to drive down the road at 90 mph to get out of the way." He said he also spoke with another family that told him they were forced to seek shelter in a closet and listened as the tornado destroyed the house around them. "They kicked their way out of there after the storm has passed,' Gorden said. DAMAGE SPOTTED AFTER TORNADO-WARNED STORMS MOVE THROUGH TEXAS, OKLAHOMA Drone video shot in Simms, Texas, also shows incredible images of destruction after the tornadoes moved through that community. The video above the devastation shows several homes that the powerful tornadoes had leveled, and trees can be seen snapped in half because of the intense wind. And while at least one person was killed in Texas during the tornado outbreak, a judge in Lamar County said it could have been much worse. "We know that many people, many people's lives have been disrupted by this storm," Lamar County judge Brandon Bell said.
"Some have lost their homes. There have been significant injuries. But at the same time, the Lord has been good to us. Having at this time, there are no reported loss of lives in Lamar County. Having seen the severity of this tornado, there's no doubt that this could have been much worse." HOW METEOROLOGISTS DETERMINE IF A TORNADO IS TO BLAME FOR STORM DAMAGE Whenever a tornado is believed to have occurred, a survey team from the NWS is dispatched to determine if that was indeed the case.
They do everything from an assessment of the type of damage that happened to a reconstruction of wind patterns, before making a final determination. And although most people think spring is the time for severe weather, fall is the country's second severe weather season . It can also be more dangerous because shorter days make tornadoes in the dark more likely.
