Wild video of a Texas driver getting tossed around by a massive tornado and then driving away went viral on Twitter on Monday, reaching over 2.6 million views by Tuesday morning.
The footage, originally shared by Twitter user Brian Emfinger, shows a tornado ripping through a Texas town, sending tons of debris flying through the air. As the wreckage swirls above, a truck is knocked onto its side and spun around in the middle of the road with the driver still inside. Eventually, the truck is knocked back onto its wheels and drives away.
“Omg… just going thru my video. This is a story about a red truck and a tornado…. I CANNOT believe they drove away like that. #txwx #tornado,” Emfinger tweeted along with the video.
More dramatic footage from Texas showed people running into a Round Rock Walmart while the tornado tears through the area.
“Tornado at Round Rock Walmart. I don’t get paid enough for this sh-t,” Twitter user SteelAtomic posted.
Another video posted on Twitter by Scott McClellan shows a wide shot of the tornado as it passes over a busy interstate.
“Tornado crossing over I-35 in Round Rock. Packed interstate. This is bad. #txwx,” he tweeted.
According to The Houston Chronicle, officials said multiple tornados tore through Texas and Oklahoma on Monday, leading to at least four injuries and extensive damage near Austin and Dallas.
Jeremy Grams, head forecaster with the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma, said the violent storms brought heavy rainfall and thunderstorms to Texas and Arkansas Tuesday morning, and a tornado watch remained in effect for both Texas and Louisiana.
“We’re still a bit uncertain on just how intense and how longer-lived some of these tornadoes may be, so we’re going to be just below that threshold of the greatest risk,” Grams said Tuesday morning.
In Texas, officials said the tornado ripped through the town of Jacksboro, roughly 60 miles northwest of Fort Worth. The storm severely damaged parts of the walls and roof of Jacksboro High School, particularly its gym.
“It brought tears to my eyes,” school principal Starla Sanders told WFAA-TV in Dallas.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said on Monday that he was grateful that no one had been killed in the natural disaster.
“We know there are many people whose lives have been completely disrupted and people who’ve lost their homes,” Abbott said. “At the very same time… it may be a miracle also, because even though there’s been some devastating physical damage, to my knowledge, as of right now, there is no report of loss of life, which is just stunning.”
