We saw people seeking shelter from the storm as it approached drivers on I-35. They sought refuge inside a truck stop convenience store, but it turned into a frightening experience as the building was directly hit. NBC 5’s Alicia Barrera interviewed survivors inside when the building collapsed.
Jennifer Otten said she was driving along I-35 in Cooke County when her phone alerted her of a tornado in the area. Her 17-year-old daughter, Hannah Otten was also in the vehicle.
"We were coming from Sanger doing a Door Dash (delivery)," Otten said. "We hauled as fast as we could to get to the nearest place."
They, along with at least 100 other people pulled into a truck stop convenience store off I-35 and E Lone Oak Drive in Valley View.
Conner Stines was headed back home to Bedford with his twin sister when he pulled into the truck stop.
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"It was raining. It was wet. I didn't want to cause a wreck so, we pulled over," Stines said. "We ended up in the worst spot we could be in."
It was around 10:45 pm on Saturday that authorities said a tornado with maximum winds of 135 mph struck and battered a long stretch of land.
"Everybody was scrambling over here trying to get to safety," Jennifer said. "By the time we got in, the power went out."
The crowds heard a man yell for people to take shelter in the bathrooms.
"We all just ran," Hannah said.
"As we were running the windows started exploding around us," Stines said.
The powerful winds shredded metal coverings, threw gas pumps to the side of the road and vehicles across the parking lot, and blew out parts of the convenience store.
"They talk about the train whistle," Stines said. "That's pretty much what it sounded like. You could feel (the winds) kind of pull us toward it a little bit."
On Sunday afternoon Stines drove back up to the scene to pick up some belongings. His car had been thrown about 50-yards. Inside his mangled vehicle, he recovered a water bottle and a baseball cap.
Jennifer's vehicle was near the main entrance of the convenience store.
"My ID, my wallet, my purse is in there," Jennifer said. "My keys are in the. Her medication is in there. Everything that I need to do anything to move forward right now, I can't get."
An officer on the scene was able grab her purse from the vehicle before a fence was installed around the property.
On Sunday night crews continued working and began to push the metal scraps to make room for tow trucks.
