Five years later, a North Dallas neighborhood reflects on the EF-3 tornado that left a 15 mile path of damage. NBC 5’s Katy Blakey revisited the area where people say they still consider themselves grateful.
Monday marked five years since an EF-3 tornado tore through parts of north Dallas.
The storm wiped out homes, schools, churches and shopping centers.
Five years later in neighborhoods near Preston and Royal, new homes stand and saplings grow where 100-year-old trees were uprooted.
Eve Wiley’s home and street took a direct hit.
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It took 18 months for her family to rebuild and even longer for neighbors.
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“There’s nothing like a natural disaster to bring everybody together to see the impact it’s had on our community and everyone coming back together has been encouraging, but it’s been a struggle,” Wiley said.
Insurance fights and pandemic issues involving supply chain problems and construction delays complicated recovery efforts for many.
And, despite the tornado causing an estimated $1.5 billion in damage, it fell short for Federal Emergency Management Assistance.
The agency said it failed to meet the threshold of uninsured losses to qualify as a federal disaster.
“There were bricks flying all over the roof and yard,” reflected Thomas Wikman.
The twister passed within 100 yards of Wikman's home and came even closer to his 89-year-old father-in-law.
“He was actually blown away,” Wikman said. “The wind lifted him but he held on to the doorframe and he got injured a little bit.”
He shared his memories and photos from that night in a recent blog post.
Despite the challenges, survivors remain thankful. No lives were lost that night.
