Tornado-ravaged downtown Fort Worth may not reopen until Monday

Collapsed buildings searched for victims

In this story: Shattered glass poses big threat 'We don't want to die' Storm slammed restaurant like 'large bomb going off' Shelters opened in hard-hit areas RELATED STORIES, SITES

FORT WORTH, Texas (CNN) -- Because broken glass from tornado-damaged tall buildings could suddenly come flying down, Mayor Kenneth Barr said downtown Fort Worth may have to remain off-limits to the public until the end of the weekend.

Back-to-back twisters ripped through the city shortly after rush hour Tuesday evening, killing at least three people and injuring dozens.

VIDEO CNN's Jacqui Jeras looks at the threat of tornadoes in cities. Real 28K 80K Windows Media 28K 80K CNN's Catherine Callaway shows the tornado, and the damage. QuickTime Play Real 28K 80K Windows Media 28K 80K RESOURCES The Red Cross is taking donations to help tornado victims @ (800) 435-7669 (HELPNOW) AUDIO Lt. Gov. Rick Perry says the disaster could have been much worse 408K/25 sec. AIFF or WAV sound ALSO Tornadoes don't discriminate between trailer parks or skyscrapers

The toll could rise. About seven collapsed buildings west of the city "potentially could have people that are trapped inside," said Chief H.L. McMillen of the Fort Worth Fire Department.

Members of the Texas Urban Search and Rescue Team based in College Station were expected to help with the search. The team was formed to respond to catastrophes after the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.

Texas Gov. George W. Bush declared Tarrant County, which includes Fort Worth, a state disaster area. He is also seeking a federal disaster declaration to get emergency funds for the devastated area.

A half-dozen downtown buildings, many of them high-rises, were slammed by the twisters, leaving broken walls of glass hanging precariously above the streets.

"Folks are going to have to understand, this is a natural disaster," Barr said. "It's going to cause some inconvenience. People are just going to have to tolerate it."

The mayor added that the downtown area would remain closed until officials are sure falling glass and other types of debris are cleaned from the tall buildings.

"I would urge companies in the downtown area, if at all possible, to hold off on bringing people in. ... We don't want anyone else to get hurt," Barr said.

The sound of glass shattering could be heard in the city throughout the day as workers pushed the remains of broken windows, some weighing as much as 200 pounds, out of their frames high above the streets.

"If they were to break loose, there is no telling where they're going to land. They can go for several blocks -- obviously do major damage -- so those areas around those buildings we are going to continue to keep closed off until we can get up there and take care of those problems," said Fort Worth Fire Department spokesman Lt. Kent Worley.

Residents awoke Wednesday to find startling devastation across a wide swath of Fort Worth and the surrounding suburbs. Trees were uprooted, hundreds of homes damaged, and a church steeple left tottering as the tower beneath it was reduced to a skeleton of girders and steps.

The storm knocked out electricity to 30,000 customers overnight. Some 6,000 customers were still without power Wednesday.

The twisters hit just before dark Tuesday evening, just after 6 p.m. Wailing tornado sirens warned residents minutes before each tornado hit.

"The wind was blowing so fast and all the people were shouting, 'We don't want to die, we don't want to die,' " said Sanu Piya, a worker at Star City Fina gas station and convenience store, who huddled with others inside the downtown store as the tornado passed.

One man was killed when he was hit by flying debris, and another victim was found dead in a collapsed building, according to Fort Worth Police Lt. David Burgess. A third victim's body was recovered from floodwaters.

Storms dumped heavy rain on the area. One person drowned, and another is missing and presumed dead after their car was swept into the Trinity River by floodwaters. Two others in the vehicle were rescued.

The storm hit west of downtown first, then hopped around, hitting some residential and light industrial areas, Burgess said. "Then the storm hit full force in downtown," he said.

In addition to smashing the glass in several skyscrapers, the tornadoes flattened stores, overturned vehicles and littered downtown streets with glass and trash.

Just a block away from one of the tornadoes' paths, the 35-story Bank One Tower suffered extensive damage. Windows were blown out on nearly every floor of the eight-story Cash America International Building, which houses offices of the FBI and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

The manager of a popular restaurant on the top floor of the building said his business was destroyed.

"Imagine a large bomb going off," the manager said. "It got pretty hectic in here. We were doing some major yelling to get people out of there."

Patrons and employees had to run down 35 flights of stairs to get to safety, he said.

Robert and Wendi Sparlins were celebrating their second wedding anniversary at the restaurant.

"The windows starting popping, people were running trying to get under the table," Robert Sparlins said.

At the downtown Renaissance Worthington Hotel, windows were broken out in about 12 guest rooms and in the public area, manager Bob Jameson said. The roofs of other buildings were torn off, trees were uprooted, power and telephone lines were downed, and traffic signals were rendered useless.

After hitting downtown Fort Worth, the storm moved east into neighboring Arlington and Grand Prairie, where police said more than 80 people were left homeless.

"It's total devastation everywhere you look," Mike Anderson, a Salvation Army spokesman, said of one Arlington neighborhood of mostly two-story houses in the $200,000 range.

Many residents spent the night in their cars in their driveways rather than leave their damaged homes. Anderson said some 60 homes were damaged in an area a mile long and four blocks wide.

Several motorists in Arlington had to abandon their cars after their vehicles stalled in rising floodwaters.

The American Red Cross set up shelters in Fort Worth, Grand Prairie and River Oaks. A Red Cross representative said about 250 people have sought shelter.

About 175 people, most of them elderly, stayed the night at a Red Cross shelter at Will Rogers Coliseum, manager Richard Fall said.

The Red Cross is sending nurses and mental health counselors to its shelters, and a spokesman said providing food and clothing is a priority.

The spokesman said the agency most needs money to help with the emergency and urges potential donors to call (800) 435-7669 (HELPNOW).

Another round of severe weather was possible Wednesday, said Jeffery Moore, a forecaster with the National Weather Service office in Fort Worth.

"This is spring in Texas. Unfortunately, spring in Texas means we do have a chance for severe weather all too often," he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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