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warrenharris 
netOn April 10, 2008 a record-setting series of storms slammed North Texas, officially spawning five tornadoes and causing a disruptive amount of damage. While Frisco, TX was lashed with torrential rains and lightning, it was spared the wind damage that devastated her neighboring communities of Plano and Allen.
My office, located at the SW corner of Custer and Parker in Plano, TX was to be at the epicenter of the destruction leveled upon our city. Upon arrival at my office I discovered a significant assortment of debris scattered about the parking lot that, upon closer inspection, turned out to be tiles from our roof. One updstairs stuite had a large window blown out by the storm, leaving missing ceiling tiles and dangling ducting in it's wake. Many nearby businesses lost their free-standing signs, power was out and shops on the north side of Parker were inacessible due to downed power lines. Traffic through the Custer / Parker intersection was being routed through the Kroger and Albertsons shopping centers. Our office was structurally intact, but the power was out and the UPSs had run out of battery power hours ago. Raven, our supervisor (little black cat), was terrified and not at all happy about the situation, but otherwise unharmed.
If you have plans to visit us or any other merchants in this area (or your travels take you through this area) leave substantial extra time until further notice.
It appeared to me and other residents I spoke with, that a small tornado went right down Parker Road from West to East starting around Preston Meadow and petering out somewhere past the Custer intersection. This entire intersection is closed to traffic indefinitely while crews work to replace over two blocks of power poles that were simply snapped off by the hurricane-force winds of this high-powered storm.
The neighborhoods surrounding the Preston Meadow / Parker Rd. intersection sustained massive damage to mature trees, fences, roofs and chimneys. Half-sections of trees were seen deposited in neighborhoods they did not originate in.
In Allen, TX, the neighborhoods surrounding a small private landing strip on Stacy Road were especially hard-hit, with airplane hangars that had been standing the day before, disassembled and scattered across Stacy Road. When I arrived, crews were already at work restoring power and communications to weary residents. Not a single street sign could be seen still standing. Long expanses of brick walls and fences were simply blown down and brick exteriors were stripped completely off relatively new, upscale homes. Private planes were upended and crushed in the onslaught.
The photos in this slideshow are of Plano, TX and the airport community area of Allen, TX on April 10, 2008.
