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Katy resident experiences tornado from his car
Many businesses are starting the long cleanup process after a Firestone building was destroyed by a twister. FOX 26's Jonathan Mejia spoke with a man who was in his car while the tornado hit.
KATY, Texas - Significant damage was left behind after a tornado tore through west Harris County early Wednesday morning.
A Firestone building collapsed, and the front windows of the Bourbon Street Sports Bar across the parking lot blew out. Debris was left strewn across the parking lot.
The National Weather Service confirmed that a brief tornado with winds peaking at 90 mph caused damage. This was evident by the extent of the damage and the way the debris fell circularly.
VIDEO: Firestone collapses, sports bar damaged during tornado in west Harris Co.
"Looking at the damage and how it’s laid and how damage was thrown. We can definitively say this was a brief tornado," Jeffry Evans, the Meteorologist in Charge for the Houston NWS, said.
The damage occurred around 3 a.m. at a business center off of South Mason Road, south of Kingsland Blvd.
FOX 26 spoke with Cody Fitzgerald, who experienced the tornado while sleeping in his car.
"It sounded something like a freight train, and it started picking up and that’s when I said ‘Okay, well this is how I’m going to die'," Fitzgerald said.
The sheer force of the tornado made its presence felt.
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"It picked up about two inches off the ground and then came down. That’s what really got me, and I was like ‘You know what, this is a tornado’," Fitzgerald said.
Several residents stood by and took a look at the aftermath.
"I’ve never seen something like this. I’m shocked because, where I come from, I have never experienced anything like this. It’s unbelievable," Henry Mencia-Mercarte said.
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Storm damages buildings near Katy
A storm damaged a sports bar and caused a building to collapse near Katy.
Elijah Bibah was on his way to the barbershop in the plaza to get a haircut but he was unaware of how damaged the plaza was.
"I’ve never seen something like this before," Bibah said. "That’s crazy fast. That’s insanely fast. That’s insane I actually don’t know what to say," Bibah continued.
Ruben Sanchez said he was awakened by the tornado and couldn't believe what he saw when he looked out his window.
"I looked outside and I see this rotation, it was very windy, and it was very strong winds so I don’t know what to do at the moment," Sanchez said.
Fire officials say there was a small gas leak due to the damage, so the gas was turned off. The electricity was also turned off in the block as a precaution.
Officials say one Centerpoint employee who had responded to the scene had a minor shock but was treated on the scene and released.
Three employees were in the sports bar at the time the tornado occurred, but they were not injured, officials say.