Storm swats county

A severe storm came through Stephens County and spawned at least one confirmed tornado in Loco last Thursday which took out at least three homes.

Downtown Comanche saw damage as part of the roof of the Studio 81 Building at the northeast corner of Oak Main and Rodeo was torn off and deposited in various spots in the immediate area.

Traffic lights going west at the intersection were destroyed as was a crossing signal at the corner of the old Cowboy Opry building. A power pole nearby also fell victim to the early evening storm.

Comanche lost power for several hours before it was restored early Friday, as city utility crews worked non-stop into the wee hours of the morning to get the city back up and running.

A large storage building on Sears Road was destroyed and several tree branches and trees came down around town.

City code enforcement officer Wayne McCasland said Monday that the city was still busy cleaning up brush in the area and it was still waiting for the traffic lights downtown to be replaced.

A second wave of storms came through later in the evening and took out the Corum Fire Department building.

“We drove around after the first storm looking for damage and debris. Everything was fine when we left the station around 7 - 7:30 p.m.,” said Bill Straily, Corum FireDepartment chief. “I got a call at 3:30 a.m. from the Stephens County Sheriff’s Office dispatch telling me the fire station was destroyed.”