LUFKIN, Texas — Powerful storms ripped through portions of Angelina County early Wednesday morning. The National Weather Service's preliminary reports have determined "straight-line winds," reaching speeds of 80 mph, led to damage in downtown Lufkin.
According to city officials, a power outage forced City Hall to close for a few hours and the roads were littered with debris.
Off of Frank Avenue (Highway 94), business owner Angela Lee was counting her blessings when a large tree and billboard sign flew past her building and landed nearly at her doorstep.
She has been running her late husband's business which has been serving the community of Lufkin for 65 years. She describes the moment a tree went flying past, in what she believes was a twisting motion.
“I thought that it was just going to drop straight down onto my vehicle but its like the wind picked it up and made it fly over to the building," Lee said.
The business had minor structural damage in the form of some missing siding and Lee had a few dings to her car. She is thankful that her technicians were safe and no one was hurt.
"I had two technicians out on call and I was more worried about them and their safety more than I was about the building and the car, that can be replaced,” Lee said.
By the time the CBS19 team arrived, what was left of the large billboard was a pile of twisted metal. Crews quickly restored power and began cleanup efforts once the storm cleared this afternoon.
