Mineral Wells fundraiser supports EF3 tornado recovery

The town of Mineral Wells is slowly healing after being hit by an EF‑3 tornado on Tuesday evening.

"We know a lot of impacted families, whether it was their home or their workplace, and Woody's has always been a special place to them. I just want them to know that they have a special place with us, and we want to do whatever we can to help," said Taylor Oliver, general manager of Woody's Bar and Grill.

Woody's has been a staple in the community. On Saturday, instead of celebrating its 75‑year anniversary, the restaurant hosted a relief fundraiser.

"We're going to put any profit that we make today towards that," said Oliver.

Storm caused widespread property damage

The storm left a path of destruction. The National Weather Service says winds reached 145 miles per hour, destroying and damaging homes and businesses.

"We have 140 properties that have been impacted, with 82 of those properties being a residence," said Mineral Wells Mayor Regan Johnson.

With several commercial buildings damaged, the city says about 500 employees were affected. Some have already returned to work, and officials emphasized that despite the destruction, no lives were lost.

"I mean, that much damage, that many buildings and structures gone, and no fatalities, I mean," said Oliver.

Residents recount moments the tornado hit

Christopher Hester and Rebecca Scott were home when the tornado came through.

"When everything happened, we were standing right there… This is the first part that we saw come up, and you can see, like the wood being lifted in the nails we immediately ducked down, grabbed the dog and then ran to right here," said Scott.

The couple, along with many others who lost everything, have been given temporary housing at no cost for now.

Community support fuels recovery efforts

The community has rallied to support those impacted, and many say there's no doubt Mineral Wells will come back stronger than before.

"Mineral Wells people are so resilient, we're going to fight this, of course we're going to win this, of cour—"