Two people in the Collin County town of Copeville were killed by damage from a series of tornadoes that swept across North Texas on Saturday night, according to reports from The Farmersville Times and NBCDFW. The deaths occurred at Willard's, an Exxon service station and convenience store located at the intersection of State Highway 76 and County Roads 549 and 546, the Farmerville Times said. Copeville is located eight miles southeast of Farmersville and is 23 miles west of Greenville.
Eight others died in Garland on Saturday night as a result of the storms. As of 10 p.m., emergency responders were continuing to work at storm-damage scenes in Garland and throughout the region and more deaths could be discovered, multiple news agencies have reported. Rowlett and DeSoto also recevied major storm damage.
At about 10:45 p.m., CBS News reported a storm-related death in Blue Ridge, a Collin County town located about 11 miles north of Farmersville.
Preliminary reports have identified 11 tornadoes having occurred in North Texas and Northeast Texas during the Dec. 26 storms, including two in Collin County, one in Rains County and one in Hopkins County.
Thousands of people throughout North Texas are expected to be without electrical service overnight, as storms have destroyed power lines and equipment throughout the region.
First Baptist Church of Farmersville, 150 S. Washington St., is open for those who need shelter or a place to go, the Farmersville Times reported.
This story has been edited throughout.
