By Vanesa Brashier, editor@bluebonnetnews.com
A strong line of storms blew through Liberty County Sunday, downing trees and power lines from Dayton to Cleveland. No injuries are reported at this time.
There has been no confirmation of tornadoes in Liberty County, but Dayton Police Chief Robert Vine said the combination of twisted trees and trees that were blown over suggests there might have been tornadic activity and straight-line winds.
“A few roadways have been cleared of power lines and trees. The underpass (that goes under the Union Pacific tracks on N. Cleveland St.) is closed at this time due to high water,” Vines said. “Since we are without power, we are asking motorists to treat the intersections as four-way stops.”
Entergy crews are working in the Dayton area to restore power. Capt. Ken DeFoor, spokesperson for the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office, says the outage is estimated to end around 6 p.m. if the repairs go as planned.
“Parts of Liberty are also without power,” DeFoor said.
At his home in Kenefick, DeFoor said his property has a couple of downed trees and his neighbors have also lost trees to the storm.
“The winds here had to be around 60-70 miles per hour when that storm came through,” he said. “What we had in Kenefick appeared to be straight-line winds.”
Though residents might be anxious to see the areas damaged by the storm, DeFoor and Vine caution against that.
“Stay home. There already are quite a few people out looking around,” Vine said.
DeFoor said he is concerned that someone might be injured by a downed power line. He echoed Vine’ advice to stay home.
“Obviously if there are lines down in and around their property, they should stay clear of those, too,” DeFoor said.
DeFoor also dispelled a rumor that a child in the Dayton area was struck by lightning during the storm.
“A water well got hit by lightning and the little girl was fairly close by and she felt ‘funny’ afterwards,” DeFoor said. “Mt. Belvieu EMS responded but the parents refused medical treatment for the girl. She was probably more scared than hurt.”
(Photos courtesy of Kristy Vine and Meadow Noyer Coward)
These photos show the damage from Sunday’s storm in Dayton, Texas. (Photo courtesy of Meadow Noyer Coward) 
These photos show the damage from Sunday’s storm in Dayton, Texas. (Photos courtesy of Kristy Vine) 
These photos show the damage from Sunday’s storm in Dayton, Texas. (Photos courtesy of Kristy Vine) 
These photos show the damage from Sunday’s storm in Dayton, Texas. (Photos courtesy of Kristy Vine) 
These photos show the damage from Sunday’s storm in Dayton, Texas. (Photos courtesy of Kristy Vine) 
These photos show the damage from Sunday’s storm in Dayton, Texas. (Photos courtesy of Kristy Vine) 
These photos show the damage from Sunday’s storm in Dayton, Texas. (Photos courtesy of Kristy Vine) 
These photos show the damage from Sunday’s storm in Dayton, Texas. (Photos courtesy of Kristy Vine) 
Dayton Police Chief Robert Vine (right) visits with a resident regarding damage from Sunday’s storm. 
These photos show the damage from Sunday’s storm in Dayton, Texas. (Photos courtesy of Kristy Vine) 
These photos show the damage from Sunday’s storm in Dayton, Texas. (Photos courtesy of Kristy Vine) 
These photos show the damage from Sunday’s storm in Dayton, Texas. (Photos courtesy of Kristy Vine) 
These photos show the damage from Sunday’s storm in Dayton, Texas. (Photos courtesy of Kristy Vine) 
These photos show the damage from Sunday’s storm in Dayton, Texas. (Photos courtesy of Kristy Vine)