A Cooke County mother and two of her children were killed during the tornado that tore through North Texas on Saturday night.
The Esparza family told NBC 5 that Laura Esparza, her 15-year-old daughter Miranda, and her 9-year-old son Marco died while trying to shelter from the storm.
“They say they were waiting on their bathroom floor for the tornado to pass, but the wind picked up their mobile home and dragged them about 100 feet,” said Jesus Cancino, a family member.
A day after the severe storm raged through four North Texas counties, state and local leaders said these communities would spend the days ahead clearing the rubble.
Get top local stories in DFW delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC DFW's News Headlines newsletter.
“Texans across the state are saddened by the tragic loss of life,” said Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.
Officials said more than 38,000 homes and businesses were still without power as of Sunday night, and no more missing persons had been reported in connection with the storm.
The governor signed a disaster declaration seeking aid for the families in more than 370 homes left damaged or destroyed by the storm, as well as the loved ones of the seven people killed in the tornado.
“When they woke up yesterday, they had no way of knowing the family would be literally crushed by this horrific storm,” Abbott said.
Among those grieving were the Esparzas.
The Cooke County family said Laura and Refugio Esparza and their three children were taking shelter when their home was sent flying by the winds.
“My brother-in-law said it only took about less than a minute,” Cancino said. “He said he just laid there and all the sudden the electricity went out and he didn’t know anything more until this morning when he woke up in the hospital.”
In his hospital bed, Laura Esparza’s husband learned nearly all of his family was gone.
"We didn’t even want to tell him because we knew he was going to be in bad shape when he found out,” Cancino said. “And we ended up having to tell him, and he’s really devastated.”
Surrounded by collapsed homes and debris, the family said moving forward felt nearly impossible at the moment. But they planned to keep going for the ones who needed them most.
“His family,” said Cancino. “Three family members at once, it’s terrible.”
Anyone wishing to support the Esparza family can donate to their GoFundMe campaign.
Cooke County has also set up an official community relief fund for the tornado victims at First United Bank in Gainesville. The bank can be reached at 940-665-3484.
