Wind crushes Burnet RVs, topples planes

BURNET, Texas (KXAN) - From RV Park to wreckage site, Karl Piehl said it was a miracle he made it out alive.

“I grabbed my dog,” Piehl explained, “loaded up in the truck and actually went up the street to the car wash, so I watched all of this happen from the car wash.”

His RV was one of four in Burnet the wind flipped and shredded along the way. Three of his neighbors never made it to safety, trapped inside as their homes tumbled over.

“Very ugly and when the winds hit,” said Burnet Mayor Alan Smith. “I mean, it got cold, and the winds started blowing pretty hard.”

Smith estimated 2,000 people went without power as blown over trees snapped electric lines.

“We’ve got the fire trucks going out with a lot of the fires, going around,” he continued. “Unfortunately, with the power lines down, you’ve got people walking around, you might not be able to see them in the dark, so we’ve got some issues there and again we’ve had a couple of grass fires.”

As crews worked to restore power, they cast light on the severity of the storm. Littering the local airport were planes tossed upside down, not far from where Piehl sifted through his belongings.

“Fortunately, the RV didn’t land on the Mustang,” Piehl laughed. “That’s always a good thing.”

His 1965 treasure was untouched, leaving Karl wondering how the wind tore away so much yet spared something just feet away.

“Well, I’m glad no one was hurt,” he said. “It’s like my pastor said one time, if money will fix the problem, it really wasn’t a big problem.”

His neighbors had only minor injuries. And finally securing a place to stay overnight, he knew this mess, what he once called home, would wait until morning.