The incident occurred just east of Sanger on Saturday, where the woman was among over 20 families who lost their homes in an RV trailer park near Lake Ray Roberts Marina. She had remembered to put her car keys in her pocket before the tornado struck, and she used them to set off her car alarm, signaling her position to first responders.
Several residents of the trailer park were hospitalized due to injuries sustained when their trailers were tossed by the tornado. The woman returned to the site on Sunday, battered and bruised, in search of her missing cat, Missy.
The tornado also caused significant damage to the Lake Ray Roberts Marina and other RVs on the Sanger side of Ray Roberts Lake and at Isle du Bois State Park. Power outages, uprooted trees, and downed limbs were reported from west of Sanger across the lake along FM 455 into Pilot Point.
The Denton County Office of Emergency Management began assessing the damage at daylight Sunday to determine what services might be needed by Denton County residents. Relief efforts included bringing in water, setting up a tent for shade, providing restroom facilities, arranging food supply from the Salvation Army, transportation help from DCTA, and chaplains to assist the RV park residents as they sifted through the rubble of their former homes.
Meanwhile, crews were working to repair downed power lines and remove overturned 18-wheelers. Near the border between Denton and Cooke counties, a walk-in freezer stood out among the remnants of a Shell station where several people had been trapped after the tornado tore through the building.
Several Denton County residents with injuries were transported to Denton and area hospitals via ambulance and CareFlite. The exact number of people injured and the types of injuries were not known as of 2 p.m. Sunday.
The United Way of Denton County has set up a donation site to collect funds to assist Denton County victims of the tornado. Donations can be made at https://t.ly/G-NA-.