McCamey, TX Tornado, Jun 1937

Flood And Tornado Damage In West Texas Is Heavy

150 Houses Felled By M’Camey Blow

Five Or Six Injured Slightly; Damage Estimated At $100,000; Power and Telephone Lines Down
McCamey, June 4. (AP) – At least 150 houses were partially wrecked or blown down in a storm here last night. Jimmie Martin, correspondent for the Standard-Times at San Angelo, reported here after a hasty survey this morning, estimated damage at $100,000. Five or six persons were injured only slightly, he said. Three houses with families in them were blown away, the occupants escaping unscathed. One house erected last week was destroyed and only a mechanical refrigerator was left on the site.

Power and telephone lines this morning were in a cobweb tangle, and crews from San Angelo, Sonora, Abilene and McCamey were engaged in attempting to restore service. M. E. PITTMAN, chairman of the Red Cross disaster relief committee here, called a meeting at 10:30 o’clock to survey relief needs, if any.

Houses Crushed

Houses in all parts of town were crushed, with mist of the damage in the south and southeast parts. Sheet metal buildings and debris covered the streets, and in a few instances houses were moved bodily into the streets.

A portion of the roof of the post office, a concrete and stone building, was blown away. Porch columns of the Baptist church, a stucco structure, were gone. The west wing of the Burleson hotel was wrecked, and rooms badly damaged by water. Five to six inches of rain fell here in an hour and a half and streets were flooded. Vision was reduced to a few feet.

A Humble Pipe Line company crew was assigned to work with volunteers throughout the city this morning in clearing up the debris.

Abilene Reporter News, Abilene, TX 4 Jun 1937

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Transcribed by Lori Hedges. Thank you, Lori!