Survivor of Texas tornado describes escape from grass house

By: The Associated Press, AP Member Posted: Last Modified:

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ALTO, Texas - A survivor of a deadly Texas tornado says he managed to crawl out of a grass house at a Native American historic site before the twister hurled it into the distance with two other people still inside.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 17/04/2019 (2672 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

ALTO, Texas – A survivor of a deadly Texas tornado says he managed to crawl out of a grass house at a Native American historic site before the twister hurled it into the distance with two other people still inside.

Jeff Williams of Nacogdoches (nak-uh-DOH’-ches) is president of Friends of Caddo (CAD’-oh) Mounds, a historic site in Alto (AL’-toh) that was among areas across the South that was pummeled by storms over the weekend.

The Oklahoma native told KTRE-TV Tuesday that he helped build the beehive-shaped grass structure using the Caddo Nation method.

This undated photo provided by the Texas Historical Commission shows a grass house at a Native American historic site called Caddo Mounds before a twister hurled it into the distance with two other people still inside in Alto, Texas. Caddo Mounds was hosting a cultural event when the tornado struck. One person died and more than 20 were hurt. (Leah Brown/Texas Historical Commission via AP)
This undated photo provided by the Texas Historical Commission shows a grass house at a Native American historic site called Caddo Mounds before a twister hurled it into the distance with two other people still inside in Alto, Texas. Caddo Mounds was hosting a cultural event when the tornado struck. One person died and more than 20 were hurt. (Leah Brown/Texas Historical Commission via AP)

Williams says the house “disintegrated” and the tornado dropped the other occupants “a couple hundred yards” away. They survived.

Caddo Mounds was hosting a cultural event when the tornado struck. One person died and more than 20 were hurt.

___

Information from: KTRE-TV, http://www.ktre.com

This Sunday, April 14, 2019, photo provided by the Texas Historical Commission shows an empty mound after a grass house at a Native American historic site called Caddo Mounds was lifted by a twister and hurled it into the distance with two people still inside in Alto, Texas. Caddo Mounds was hosting a cultural event when the tornado struck. One person died and more than 20 were hurt. (Chris Florance/Texas Historical Commission via AP)
This Sunday, April 14, 2019, photo provided by the Texas Historical Commission shows an empty mound after a grass house at a Native American historic site called Caddo Mounds was lifted by a twister and hurled it into the distance with two people still inside in Alto, Texas. Caddo Mounds was hosting a cultural event when the tornado struck. One person died and more than 20 were hurt. (Chris Florance/Texas Historical Commission via AP)

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