Tornado causes heavy damage, 2 injuries in Pasadena, La Porte area

National Weather Service survey teams have confirmed that tornadoes struck Morgan's Point/Barbours Cut, rated EF-1, Pasadena, rated EF-1, and Dutton Lake, rated EF-0, in addition to the one confirmed on Wednesday in southwest Houston.

"It appears a tornado came through this area," said Morgan's Point Police Chief S.R. Dietrich.

And that tornado caused many huge containers at a private company in Morgan's Point to come crashing down like match sticks.

Dietrich had no doubt a tornado was the culprit.

"La Porte officers were working an incident on 146 South and they spotted a funnel cloud in the sky and contacted dispatch who shortly later confirmed through the radar and the National Weather Service that a funnel cloud was in this area proceeding this way and from the damage we've observed it's pretty obvious that a tornado came through here," the police chief said.

The toppled containers which each weigh 8,500 pounds were empty. Two employees working near the containers were injured. One was taken to the hospital another was treated at the scene.

It's a good thing a city ordinance limits the number of containers that can be stacked at the Port of Houston.

"If they were stacked any higher the amount of high winds that came through here we could have seen containers across the roadway or could have been thrown on to a passing vehicle trying to exit the area," Dietrich said.

Dietrich said it's not known yet if a tornado did all this damage at Best Transportation in Pasadena. The wind was so strong cars were knocked over. One car was on its side.

At least 4 others were bashed in as if they had been in accidents. Broken glass was everywhere.

The company's manager declined to comment other than to say no injuries were reported, and they are still assessing the damage.