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Sanger woman dies after storm overturns her home, Denton County officials confirm

One person is dead after a storm on Sunday flipped over an RV in Sanger, Denton County and employees of Sanger/Denton North KOA at McClain's Longhorn RV told CBS News Texas. 

The person, a woman, was taken to Denton Presbyterian Hospital with critical injuries on Sunday. Her dog was also trapped inside the RV when it was turned over.

"If she felt anything like I felt, she had to have been terrified when it went over," said Jacquie Putnam, who manages the RV park.

Damage was reported to several RVs at Sanger/Denton North KOA at McClain's Longhorn RV Sunday night. At least five homes were toppled over.

"We could feel us starting to rock, then hail started to hit and then you couldn't even see out of the window," Putnam said.

Trees were uprooted and power went out, leaving residents in the dark. Neighbors said they were fighting just to get through the night, huddled up, listening to their RVs shake in the wind. Hail up to two inches in diameter and wind gusts up to 65 mph were recorded, Denton Coutny said. Structures sustained roof and window damage, trees were downed across roadways and neighborhoods, and multiple power outages were reported. Utility crews responded throughout the evening to restore service.

One resident told CBS News Texas they now want to put anchor holes in the concrete so their RV could be tied down during intense storms like the one on Sunday.

There were no other reports of injuries. 

Residents describe a chaotic storm

It was a chaotic Sunday night storm that left Clint Fry shaken. Fry recounted the moment strong winds flipped his camper, telling CBS News Texas, he's never experienced a storm like this at the campsite.

"The wind got real hard, and it started hailing and the camper felt like it started inching back," Fry said. "It hit me in the back of the head, and I rolled a couple times and flipped. I think it flipped three times, with me in it, and it just… I closed my eyes and just went for a ride, got beat up pretty good."

Fry has a gash on the back of his head. Monday, he and his wife were cleaning up what's left of their home.

"It looks like it went through a blender," he said.

Throughout the day, crews and residents cleaned up storm debris. And just feet away from Fry, an RV that belonged to the woman who died.

"There were a couple folks who live on property who were able to get to her camper and hold her hand, they said she had very shallow respiration when she left here," said Jacquie Putnam, the RV park manager.

The woman was in her late 70s and lived with her dog, who was also trapped inside the RV when it turned over.

"If she felt anything like I felt, she had to have been terrified when it went over. I can't even imagine what the feeling would be," Putnam said. "It just, my heart hurts."

Officials with the city of Sanger said they responded to 35 emergency calls related to the storm, from building collapses to people trapped inside. A city spokesperson said at least 11 outside agencies helped during the storm.

Fry is grateful to be alive and wants to thank his neighbors, who are helping him pick up the pieces.

"Man, my faith is restored in humanity. I think there's a lot of good people out there. I'm thankful for that," Fry said.

Severe storms cause damage in Denton County

Severe storms caused significant damage in Denton County on Sunday, including a 45-to 50-foot hole in the roof of the Walmart Distribution Center in Sanger.

Officials said no injuries have been reported at the distribution center, and all employees were dismissed to go home.

Denton County said the first calls of a tornado rotation came in just before 5:30 p.m. and the first reports of damage came minutes later.

The National Weather Service's preliminary reports showed the damage Sunday night was due to straight-line winds, which NWS describes as thunderstorm winds that have no rotation, i.e., not a tornado.

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