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Round Rock asks for volunteers to help with tornado debris cleanup Saturday

Debris from a destroyed home hit by a tornado in Round Rock.
Michael Minasi
/
KUT
A tornado ripped through Round Rock neighborhoods and damaged hundreds of homes on Monday.

Round Rock is seeking volunteers this weekend to help clear debris from the tornadoes that hit Williamson County on Monday.

One tornado touched down in Round Rock near the Kalahari Resort and went up to Granger. A second one hit near Jarrell. No major injuries or deaths have been reported.

Jarrell officials say fewer than 30 homes were damaged and cleanup was largely complete as of Friday.

Round Rock had between 350 and 400 homes damaged. On Saturday, the city is focusing cleanup efforts in the Kensington and Windy Park neighborhoods.

Volunteers are asked to help gather branches and other debris that have been piled on curbs into dumpsters and garbage trucks.

The city is asking that people older than 14 years old participate since the work will be manual labor. People are also asked to bring gloves, safety glasses, close-toed shoes, sun protection and water, as it's expected to be a hot day. No equipment will be necessary.

There will be a morning and an afternoon shift. Volunteers can arrive at either the Dell Technologies Building or Success High School between 8 and 8:30 a.m. or 12 and 12:30 p.m. to be assigned where to help.

The city has asked that people park at those locations to avoid crowding neighborhood streets.

Joseph Brehm, director of community development for Round Rock, said so far several hundred volunteers have helped out this week and more are expected this weekend.

"We're expecting a very large crowd," he said. "And thank goodness for the citizens of Round Rock because we couldn't do it without them."

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Allyson Ortegon is a former Williamson County reporter for KUT.
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