Four People Are Dead After a Tornado Struck the Town of Matador

The small town of Matador, just 80 miles Northeast of Lubbock, was struck by a tornado on the night of June 21st. The tornado was confirmed by the national Weather Service shortly after 8 p.m. and rescue operations were started soon after. The damage to the city was extensive with some people displaced and the entire city was left without electricity.

A press conference was held this morning, June 22, in Matador with Sergeant Johnny Bures, from the Texas Department of Public Safety, and Derek Delgado, Lubbock Fire & Rescue Public Information Officer, over the efforts taking place. Multiple agencies from neighboring counties and communities are in Matador helping with relief efforts, that includes some agencies from further away. The Texas Task Force from the Dallas Fort Worth area are assisting as well as Texas Parks and Wildlife.

As per the publishing of this article 10 people have been confirmed as injured from the tornado with varying degrees of injuries and 4 people are now deceased. The church in Matador is not being used as a shelter but instead is being used as reunification area. While recovery efforts are soon to begin Sergeant Bures does iterate the importance of double checking the area for anyone who was passing through or not from Matador that may have been caught in the storm and to make sure that everyone is accounted for. Drones, and different methods, will be used to map the damage around the city for a better.

A substation was completely destroyed during the tornado leaving residents without power but is expected to be returned Friday or Saturday evening once the substation has received the necessary repairs. There is currently no word on how many people were displaced due to the tornado but anyone who is interested in donating a designated area has been set up near the school and during the press conference it was said that monetary donations would be better than food at this time due to the city not having any electricity. There are other smaller ways that you can help during this time of need for the the community of Matador, even if it's not with a donation, that information can be found here.