Thousands, including former South Bend resident, ride out November Texas tornado

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Thousands in Texas are picking up the pieces after an EF-2 tornado caused significant damage outside of Dallas-Fort Worth Tuesday night.

The tornado, which displaced nearly 75 families two days out from Thanksgiving, had estimated wind speeds of 115 miles per hour.

The twister was part of a strong line of storms which spawned severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings across the DFW area.

Former South Bend resident and new mom Jessica Al Kassem was one of those people under the gun of a tornado warning Tuesday night.

She, her husband, and her two-month-old son Dylan rode out the storms in a bedroom closet.

“I was pretty anxious, being a first-time mom, just wasn't quite sure what we should do, then I just process through stuff really quickly to make sure we were all safe,” Al Kassem said.

Understandably, the storms and sirens made Dylan very upset. Even with calming music, Jessica said her son would not stop screaming.

Then, she remembered an unusual tip her friend told her to get a baby to sleep.

“A guy, I think it was on Youtube, played ‘Slipknot’ for their baby, and the baby went to sleep. So, I thought, why not, and lo and behold, we played ‘Slipknot’ and he went to sleep.”

Thankfully, the tornado didn't hit their location and everyone is doing ok.

Jessica said she was thankful for an alert on her phone making her aware of the nearby tornado warning.

Severe weather can strike at any time, whether it's a tornado or a snow squall. Download the ABC57 First Warning Neighborhood Mobile Weather App for around the clock updates any time. You’ll have access to live doppler RADAR, severe weather alerts, and more all in the palm of your hand.

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