All residents accounted for after deadly storm slams U.S., Mexico

EAGLE PASS, Texas - All residents were accounted for Wednesdayafter crews scoured the mangled remains of houses and trailer homesin the wake of tornadoes that killed at least 10 people in thisborder community and its Mexican neighbor. The storm killed two otherpeople in Louisiana and Arkansas.

Twisters cut across a nearly 4-square-mile area in a ruralcommunity southeast of Eagle Pass on Tuesday night, destroying twoempty elementary schools, a church, business and homes. Severalmobile homes were still missing as searchers with dogs went lot tolot.

Maverick County Judge Jose Aranda said that all residents wereaccounted for, but that 50 to 200 families were left homeless.

A family of five - a girl, her parents and two other relatives -was killed when the winds blew their mobile home across the streetand slammed it into Rosita Valley Elementary School.

"It was a whole family, and they were all together, probably likethey were huddling," said police Officer Ezekiel Navjas, who arrivedTuesday night just as crews were pulling from the wreckage the bodyof the girl, believed to be about 5 years old.

"I've never seen nothing like this," he said, shaking his head ashe walked down a dirt road lined with homes cut in half like dollhouses and mesquite treetops torn from their trunks.

One of the dead was found in a house, and the other died afterbeing taken to a San Antonio hospital, authorities said. More than 80others were injured, and at least four remained in critical conditionWednesday.

Across the Rio Grande in Piedras Negras, three people were killedand 300 homes were damaged. About 1,000 people sought refuge inshelters in Piedras Negras, where 32 people were killed by a tornadothree years ago.

Neither Eagle Pass nor Piedras Negras had a siren warning systemlike those used to help people evacuate ahead of the same storm whenit flooded streets and peeled roofs off homes in North Texas. Noinjuries were reported there.

Lightning was blamed for a death Wednesday as the huge weathersystem plowed through the Mississippi and Ohio valleys. The boltstarted a fire near Shreveport, La., that killed a 101-year-old man,authorities and the man's family said.

A 12th person died in Arkansas when high winds swamped a boat on alake, officials said.

The sprawling front also spun off tornadoes Tuesday in Oklahomaand Colorado, caused flooding in Iowa and Nebraska, and piled snowmore than a foot deep in the Rockies.

About 350 residents from Eagle Pass were in shelters and were keptfrom their homes until rescuers completed their search of the area.Search teams made up of police, firefighters, Border Patrol agentsand National Guard soldiers picked their way through homes, knockingon doors, calling out to residents and marking searched buildingswith spray paint.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry arrived for a tour in the late afternoon,saying he was pleased with officials' response. The state has askedthe federal government for quick assistance and a disasterdeclaration, which would entitle it to federal aid.

"It is stunning, the devastation," he said.

Eagle Pass resident Ricardo Tijerina, who rode out the twisterswith his six children in a house near the school, said he saw theweather roll in and expected a typical spring storm.

"I saw some clouds, but I never imagined it was going to be thatbad," said Tijerina, whose children, ages 5 to 15, crowded undertheir beds while he watched a neighbor's trailer roll off itsfoundation.

The tornado hit near Eagle Pass around 7 p.m., according to theNational Weather Service. There were reports of another funnel cloudin Piedras Negras later that night, but it was unclear when or if ittouched down.

Tijerina and another neighbor went out in the wind to make sureeveryone in the neighbor's trailer was OK, but the family, with sevenchildren, was not home, he said.

After the tornado passed, neighbors poured onto the darkenedstreets checking for anyone who needed help, said EglanteinaAlamillo, 20. "You could hear everyone was walking around and helpingpeople get out of the trailers," she said.

Navjas said he and other rescuers worked as long as they couldTuesday night. He finally went home for a couple hours of sleep afterhis flashlight went out around 4 a.m.

School was canceled Wednesday in Eagle Pass, a city of 26,000about 150 miles southwest of San Antonio. Like most border towns, itis heavily dependent on its relationship with its Mexican neighbor.It also depends on revenue from the Kickapoo tribe's Lucky Eaglecasino.

"These are people that have built their homes a little at a time,"Aranda said. "They probably don't have a mortgage, but they don'thave insurance either."

American Airlines canceled about 200 flights because of weather inDallas, spokesman Billy Sanez said. The airline also diverted about80 flights bound for Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport to otherairports.

Ken Capps, vice president of public affairs at the Dallas airport,said the flight control tower was temporarily evacuated Tuesday nightbut the airport remained open. Weather canceled 160 of about 950departing flights Tuesday, and cots were provided for strandedpassengers, airport officials said.

Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers MattJoyce and Terry Wallace in Dallas and Juan Montano in Piedras Negras,Mexico.

All residents accounted for after deadly storm slams U.S., Mexico

EAGLE PASS, Texas - All residents were accounted for Wednesdayafter crews scoured the mangled remains of houses and trailer homesin the wake of tornadoes that killed at least 10 people in thisborder community and its Mexican neighbor. The storm killed two otherpeople in Louisiana and Arkansas.

Twisters cut across a nearly 4-square-mile area in a ruralcommunity southeast of Eagle Pass on Tuesday night, destroying twoempty elementary schools, a church, business and homes. Severalmobile homes were still missing as searchers with dogs went lot tolot.

Maverick County Judge Jose Aranda said that all residents wereaccounted for, but that 50 to 200 families were left homeless.

A family of five - a girl, her parents and two other relatives -was killed when the winds blew their mobile home across the streetand slammed it into Rosita Valley Elementary School.

"It was a whole family, and they were all together, probably likethey were huddling," said police Officer Ezekiel Navjas, who arrivedTuesday night just as crews were pulling from the wreckage the bodyof the girl, believed to be about 5 years old.

"I've never seen nothing like this," he said, shaking his head ashe walked down a dirt road lined with homes cut in half like dollhouses and mesquite treetops torn from their trunks.

One of the dead was found in a house, and the other died afterbeing taken to a San Antonio hospital, authorities said. More than 80others were injured, and at least four remained in critical conditionWednesday.

Across the Rio Grande in Piedras Negras, three people were killedand 300 homes were damaged. About 1,000 people sought refuge inshelters in Piedras Negras, where 32 people were killed by a tornadothree years ago.

Neither Eagle Pass nor Piedras Negras had a siren warning systemlike those used to help people evacuate ahead of the same storm whenit flooded streets and peeled roofs off homes in North Texas. Noinjuries were reported there.

Lightning was blamed for a death Wednesday as the huge weathersystem plowed through the Mississippi and Ohio valleys. The boltstarted a fire near Shreveport, La., that killed a 101-year-old man,authorities and the man's family said.

A 12th person died in Arkansas when high winds swamped a boat on alake, officials said.

The sprawling front also spun off tornadoes Tuesday in Oklahomaand Colorado, caused flooding in Iowa and Nebraska, and piled snowmore than a foot deep in the Rockies.

About 350 residents from Eagle Pass were in shelters and were keptfrom their homes until rescuers completed their search of the area.Search teams made up of police, firefighters, Border Patrol agentsand National Guard soldiers picked their way through homes, knockingon doors, calling out to residents and marking searched buildingswith spray paint.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry arrived for a tour in the late afternoon,saying he was pleased with officials' response. The state has askedthe federal government for quick assistance and a disasterdeclaration, which would entitle it to federal aid.

"It is stunning, the devastation," he said.

Eagle Pass resident Ricardo Tijerina, who rode out the twisterswith his six children in a house near the school, said he saw theweather roll in and expected a typical spring storm.

"I saw some clouds, but I never imagined it was going to be thatbad," said Tijerina, whose children, ages 5 to 15, crowded undertheir beds while he watched a neighbor's trailer roll off itsfoundation.

The tornado hit near Eagle Pass around 7 p.m., according to theNational Weather Service. There were reports of another funnel cloudin Piedras Negras later that night, but it was unclear when or if ittouched down.

Tijerina and another neighbor went out in the wind to make sureeveryone in the neighbor's trailer was OK, but the family, with sevenchildren, was not home, he said.

After the tornado passed, neighbors poured onto the darkenedstreets checking for anyone who needed help, said EglanteinaAlamillo, 20. "You could hear everyone was walking around and helpingpeople get out of the trailers," she said.

Navjas said he and other rescuers worked as long as they couldTuesday night. He finally went home for a couple hours of sleep afterhis flashlight went out around 4 a.m.

School was canceled Wednesday in Eagle Pass, a city of 26,000about 150 miles southwest of San Antonio. Like most border towns, itis heavily dependent on its relationship with its Mexican neighbor.It also depends on revenue from the Kickapoo tribe's Lucky Eaglecasino.

"These are people that have built their homes a little at a time,"Aranda said. "They probably don't have a mortgage, but they don'thave insurance either."

American Airlines canceled about 200 flights because of weather inDallas, spokesman Billy Sanez said. The airline also diverted about80 flights bound for Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport to otherairports.

Ken Capps, vice president of public affairs at the Dallas airport,said the flight control tower was temporarily evacuated Tuesday nightbut the airport remained open. Weather canceled 160 of about 950departing flights Tuesday, and cots were provided for strandedpassengers, airport officials said.

Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers MattJoyce and Terry Wallace in Dallas and Juan Montano in Piedras Negras,Mexico.

All residents accounted for after deadly storm slams U.S., Mexico

EAGLE PASS, Texas - All residents were accounted for Wednesdayafter crews scoured the mangled remains of houses and trailer homesin the wake of tornadoes that killed at least 10 people in thisborder community and its Mexican neighbor. The storm killed two otherpeople in Louisiana and Arkansas.

Twisters cut across a nearly 4-square-mile area in a ruralcommunity southeast of Eagle Pass on Tuesday night, destroying twoempty elementary schools, a church, business and homes. Severalmobile homes were still missing as searchers with dogs went lot tolot.

Maverick County Judge Jose Aranda said that all residents wereaccounted for, but that 50 to 200 families were left homeless.

A family of five - a girl, her parents and two other relatives -was killed when the winds blew their mobile home across the streetand slammed it into Rosita Valley Elementary School.

"It was a whole family, and they were all together, probably likethey were huddling," said police Officer Ezekiel Navjas, who arrivedTuesday night just as crews were pulling from the wreckage the bodyof the girl, believed to be about 5 years old.

"I've never seen nothing like this," he said, shaking his head ashe walked down a dirt road lined with homes cut in half like dollhouses and mesquite treetops torn from their trunks.

One of the dead was found in a house, and the other died afterbeing taken to a San Antonio hospital, authorities said. More than 80others were injured, and at least four remained in critical conditionWednesday.

Across the Rio Grande in Piedras Negras, three people were killedand 300 homes were damaged. About 1,000 people sought refuge inshelters in Piedras Negras, where 32 people were killed by a tornadothree years ago.

Neither Eagle Pass nor Piedras Negras had a siren warning systemlike those used to help people evacuate ahead of the same storm whenit flooded streets and peeled roofs off homes in North Texas. Noinjuries were reported there.

Lightning was blamed for a death Wednesday as the huge weathersystem plowed through the Mississippi and Ohio valleys. The boltstarted a fire near Shreveport, La., that killed a 101-year-old man,authorities and the man's family said.

A 12th person died in Arkansas when high winds swamped a boat on alake, officials said.

The sprawling front also spun off tornadoes Tuesday in Oklahomaand Colorado, caused flooding in Iowa and Nebraska, and piled snowmore than a foot deep in the Rockies.

About 350 residents from Eagle Pass were in shelters and were keptfrom their homes until rescuers completed their search of the area.Search teams made up of police, firefighters, Border Patrol agentsand National Guard soldiers picked their way through homes, knockingon doors, calling out to residents and marking searched buildingswith spray paint.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry arrived for a tour in the late afternoon,saying he was pleased with officials' response. The state has askedthe federal government for quick assistance and a disasterdeclaration, which would entitle it to federal aid.

"It is stunning, the devastation," he said.

Eagle Pass resident Ricardo Tijerina, who rode out the twisterswith his six children in a house near the school, said he saw theweather roll in and expected a typical spring storm.

"I saw some clouds, but I never imagined it was going to be thatbad," said Tijerina, whose children, ages 5 to 15, crowded undertheir beds while he watched a neighbor's trailer roll off itsfoundation.

The tornado hit near Eagle Pass around 7 p.m., according to theNational Weather Service. There were reports of another funnel cloudin Piedras Negras later that night, but it was unclear when or if ittouched down.

Tijerina and another neighbor went out in the wind to make sureeveryone in the neighbor's trailer was OK, but the family, with sevenchildren, was not home, he said.

After the tornado passed, neighbors poured onto the darkenedstreets checking for anyone who needed help, said EglanteinaAlamillo, 20. "You could hear everyone was walking around and helpingpeople get out of the trailers," she said.

Navjas said he and other rescuers worked as long as they couldTuesday night. He finally went home for a couple hours of sleep afterhis flashlight went out around 4 a.m.

School was canceled Wednesday in Eagle Pass, a city of 26,000about 150 miles southwest of San Antonio. Like most border towns, itis heavily dependent on its relationship with its Mexican neighbor.It also depends on revenue from the Kickapoo tribe's Lucky Eaglecasino.

"These are people that have built their homes a little at a time,"Aranda said. "They probably don't have a mortgage, but they don'thave insurance either."

American Airlines canceled about 200 flights because of weather inDallas, spokesman Billy Sanez said. The airline also diverted about80 flights bound for Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport to otherairports.

Ken Capps, vice president of public affairs at the Dallas airport,said the flight control tower was temporarily evacuated Tuesday nightbut the airport remained open. Weather canceled 160 of about 950departing flights Tuesday, and cots were provided for strandedpassengers, airport officials said.

Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers MattJoyce and Terry Wallace in Dallas and Juan Montano in Piedras Negras,Mexico.