Onalaska residents feared a tornado during Monday afternoon's round of storms
POLK COUNTY, Texas - "It was crazy man," said Onalaska resident Daren Burkes.
Onalaska is about 90 minutes north of Houston in Polk County.
Burkes says he was trying to take a nap Monday afternoon before work when Onalaska became the target of a tornado warning.
"Phone went off with a tornado warning," he said. "We came out here to look and make sure everything was right."
Things weren't right in Burke's subdivision, Creek Side Estates. Tree limbs littered roads and yards.
"It was pretty bad, winds 40 to 50 miles an hour," said Burkes. "I don't know, I'm guessing. I thought a tornado came down, so we started getting everything in place. It lasted maybe five minutes."
Residents in the small town of Onalaska have good reason to get worried when tornado warnings are issued.
On April 22, 2020, an EF-3 tornado killed three residents and injured at least 20.
According to the National Weather Service, it was the deadliest tornado in the Houston region since 1987.