GAINESVILLE, Texas — Seven people died when a tornado struck southern Cooke County Saturday night.

The tornado hammered the Gateway AP Travel Center on Lone Oak Road on the north side of Interstate 35 where dozens gathered for shelter.

Emergency services actively searched the debris for missing persons overnight, and there have been numerous injuries of varying degrees reported.

The tornado hit at 9:56 p.m. along FM 922 to Rosston, south of Era, and traveled to I-35 and Lone Oak Road, according to Cooke County Emergency Management Coordinator Ray Fletcher.

“We’ve got countless homes that range from heavily damaged to totally destroyed,” Precinct 2 Commissioner Jason Snuggs told a Dallas television station Sunday afternoon.

Over 200 homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed by the tornado, according to estimates released late Sunday.

Travel Center

The field of destruction extended out a mile into neighboring fields, as county personnel and first responders from across North Texas fanned out to inspect everything that had blown away, including the travel center and neighboring A-Affordable RV and Boat Storage.

“Right now, we’re at I-35 and Lone Oak Road and behind us used to be the AP Travel Center,” Cooke County Sheriff Ray Sappington told another Dallas television station. “It was a Shell station and now it’s destroyed.”

Over 60 people had sought refuge in the travel center when the tornado struck, according to Sappington.

The storm also overturned motorhomes and knocked down power lines and trees throughout the region.

Gov. Greg Abbott and other state officials were on hand for a Sunday press conference.

Abbott issued a disaster declaration for Cooke and surrounding counties. He came to the travel center for a late Sunday afternoon press conference, where he assured locals that state and federal officials would get to work immediately on storm relief measures.

Donation collections

By midday Sunday, volunteers were out in force in Valley View. The John Fortenberry Community Center on Lee Street was humming with people unloading bottled water, diapers, food, toiletries and more from pickup beds and hauling them inside.

“We’re setting up just product collection here. … we have one of the churches open with collecting people. They’re sleeping there. They have ability to sleep there. We have another church opened up where people are going and they can, there also (are) taking clothes collections there. We’re working on getting Red Cross command posts set up. That’ll be there long term. That’s later today, I think right now they’re up at the Baptist church there, too,” said Valley View Mayor Pro Tem Joe Wilkerson.

A shelter has been opened for those needing assistance at the First Baptist Church (ROC), 503 North Lee St. in Valley View. The American Red Cross is on-site, providing aid and support to those affected by the storm.

A feeding station for first responders and those directly impacted by the storm also has been set up at the Valley View United Methodist Church, 201 Church St.

Anyone wishing to donate water or other essentials to storm victims may do so by dropping them off at John Fortenberry Community Center, 101 S. Lee St.