Total rainfall came to about one-half inch during the half hour the storm raged. No flooding was reported. Power was knocked out for about three hours in the neighborhood adjacent to Central Avenue and Interstate 35, according to employees at the Sonic Restaurant.
Les Hallbauer, director of public works for Belton, said the storm was heavier on lightning and wind gusts than on rainfall. He reported little to no damage to city property but said private property owners suffered considerable damage to trees and limbs.
“There were some limbs down at Yettie Polk Park,” Hallbauer said.
He said an electrical line was down on Main Street.
“We pushed a lot of fallen limbs out of the street,” Hallbauer said. “Tomorrow we will get out and help the citizens with their damage.”
A police scanner reported a power line down on Smith Dairy Road in far south Belton and many trees down along FM 439 near Lake Belton.
In the area of Comay Circle, Forrest Drive and Palmetto Drive near Interstate 35 and East Sixth Avenue, trees and limbs were down in many places. On North Beal Street multiple lightning strikes and gusty winds caused major property damage within a 400-foot radius of the railroad crossing for the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe rail line.
An ancient oak tree at the home of William and Jo Mayes at 1011 N. Beal St. was sheared nearly in half by a lightning strike, leaving the trunk smoking. Several major limbs spread out more than 50 feet across their back yard.
Lightning and wind gusts felled a large tree at 818 N. Beal at the home of Eulalio Vazquez. Vazquez said he moved his pickup truck under the cover of an awning when he first saw the storm bearing down on his block. Moments later a neighbor’s tree fell across the driveway where his truck had been parked.
A lightning strike bent the cross arm gate to the flashing light signal at the railroad crossing on North Beal, twisting it into a U shape.
Belton fire chief Roy Harmon, whose firefighters were going door-to-door to assist homeowners in the stricken block, used his staff car to block the crossing as a freight train crept past at greatly reduced speed.
