<p>At least one person was killed and nearly a dozen hospitalized after a tornado struck an unincorporated Gulf Coast community in Texas on Saturday, damaging numerous structures and taking down power lines, officials said.</p>.<p>A severe thunderstorm that spawned a tornado hit Laguna Heights, near South Padre Island and surrounding communities, such as Port Isabel, around 4 a.m.</p>.<p>Port Isabel Police Chief Robert Lopez said 10 people were injured, with two of them in critical condition. The others had minor cuts and bruises.</p>.<p>Officials confirmed that multiple structures sustained “extensive damage.”</p>.<p>A highway was closed in the morning as crews cleared debris and downed power lines. Road closures were lifted in the afternoon, Lopez said. About 35 people were in a shelter that was set up for emergency use, he added.</p>.<p>A spokesperson at the Cameron County Sheriff’s Department said officials were still surveying the area for damage.</p>.<p>Angelica Soria, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Brownsville, Texas, said officials determined in a preliminary damage assessment that a tornado was on the ground for five minutes. The damage was consistent with a tornado with wind speeds of 86-110 mph.</p>.<p>“The survey team is still going to go through the damage assessment,” Soria said. “I know it wasn’t a very large swath, but I don’t have the exact mileage yet.”</p>.<p>The storm comes after severe weather this week struck Kansas, Nebraska and Oklahoma. The region was pummeled with high winds and large hail.</p>
<p>At least one person was killed and nearly a dozen hospitalized after a tornado struck an unincorporated Gulf Coast community in Texas on Saturday, damaging numerous structures and taking down power lines, officials said.</p>.<p>A severe thunderstorm that spawned a tornado hit Laguna Heights, near South Padre Island and surrounding communities, such as Port Isabel, around 4 a.m.</p>.<p>Port Isabel Police Chief Robert Lopez said 10 people were injured, with two of them in critical condition. The others had minor cuts and bruises.</p>.<p>Officials confirmed that multiple structures sustained “extensive damage.”</p>.<p>A highway was closed in the morning as crews cleared debris and downed power lines. Road closures were lifted in the afternoon, Lopez said. About 35 people were in a shelter that was set up for emergency use, he added.</p>.<p>A spokesperson at the Cameron County Sheriff’s Department said officials were still surveying the area for damage.</p>.<p>Angelica Soria, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Brownsville, Texas, said officials determined in a preliminary damage assessment that a tornado was on the ground for five minutes. The damage was consistent with a tornado with wind speeds of 86-110 mph.</p>.<p>“The survey team is still going to go through the damage assessment,” Soria said. “I know it wasn’t a very large swath, but I don’t have the exact mileage yet.”</p>.<p>The storm comes after severe weather this week struck Kansas, Nebraska and Oklahoma. The region was pummeled with high winds and large hail.</p>