EF-1 Tornado Confirmed in North Fort Worth’s Heritage Trace Neighborhood

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In North Fort Worth, people who live on Oliver Drive near Heritage Trace Parkway are certain a tornado swept through Wednesday afternoon.

Their certainty came well before the National Weather Service made their official determination Thursday morning that an EF-1 twister touched down in their neighborhood.

Neighbors reported seeing what appeared to be a funnel cloud track through the neighborhood, which sits east of Interstate 35W.

The latest video forecast from NBC DFW team of Weather Experts will appear in the player above. Keep up with the latest changes to the weather by downloading the NBC DFW smartphone App for iOS and Android!

A National Weather Service survey team confirmed Thursday the tornado left a trail of damage stretching about a half mile and packed winds reaching up to 90 mph.

A neighborhood in north Fort Worth was hit hard by severe storms Wednesday afternoon. This drone video was taken near the intersection of Interstate 35W and Heritage Trace Parkway.

"We just put a roof on our pergola and that was flying, our chairs were being moved, our storage shed was moved," said Kim Panquerna.

Panquerna was home with her 3-year-old son when she looked out her kitchen window to see debris blowing across the yard. Panquerna took her child and dog into a closet and waited until the storm passed.

"I'm just so thankful that we were OK, that the Lord totally took care of us," she said.

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The Panquerna home had roof and water damage.

The Fort Worth Fire Department reported three homes with wind damage. There were also trees and fences blown down, along with windows broken out.

No injuries were reported Wednesday afternoon.

"Whenever I heard the debris hitting the garage, the whole house shook," said neighbor Jesse Fitzgerald.

The home he is staying in on Horace Avenue saw much of the backyard destroyed. Fitzgerald said there was a leak in the house, but the rest of the structure seemed fine.

Fitzgerald said he heard the storm sirens go off shortly before the damaging winds blew in. Fort Worth was under a Tornado Warning at the time.

Neighbors mobilized quickly to move trees out of the way and help those with damage clean up.

"People I don't even know are out picking up debris in my yard," said Panquerna. "It's a really special community."

Read the latest forecast information from NBC 5's team of Weather Experts here.

Before the Storm

Stay Connected. Download the NBC DFW App
Set your push alert preferences.
Charge your phones and tablets so that if you lose power you can still watch live weather coverage in the App.

Weather Safety

Stay Safe During a Hail Storm

At Home?

Head indoors immediately
If time allows, close all drapes, blinds or shades to prevent broken glass from entering your home.
Stay away from windows and skylights (any exterior glass) and head to a safe location inside your home, ideally only with interior walls.

Outdoors?

Cover your head and seek shelter indoors immediately.
If you are trapped outside, get to a low-lying area and try to protect your head. Use clothing if it's all you have.

Driving?

Stay inside your vehicle.
Slow down or pull over and stop at a safe location. DO NOT stop under a highway overpass. You may be protecting your vehicle, but you could be forcing other people to stop behind you.
Turn your back to windows or cover yourself with a blanket, coat or spare clothing to protect yourself from breaking glass.
If you have a sunroof, try to find something to protect your head.