UPDATE: The National Weather Service has confirmed an EF1 in Joshua, northern Johnson County and an EF2 in Rockwall, south of Royse City.
They are estimating a total of 13 tornados touched down in Texas.
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FORNEY (KYTX) - Hundreds of homes are damaged and thousands are still without power in Northeast Texas.
As many as 13 tornadoes may have touched down there.
The National Weather Service team has confirmed the storm that hit southwest Arlington was indeed a tornado.
One of the hardest hit cities in the Dallas - Ft. Worth area was Forney. Forney took quite a beating when a suspected tornado touched down Tuesday afternoon.
Forney is located about 20 miles east of Dallas. The storm damaged one elementary school, but no students were hurt.
Wednesday, emergency workers from several organizations went door-to-door to assess damage to almost 100 homes.
Wednesday morning piles of wood, glass, and stone replaced what used to the homes of Forney residents. But even after the destruction of Tuesday's reported tornadoes, the people of this devastated city are keeping their heads held high.
At a press conference Wednesday morning, Forney Mayor Darren Rozell said, "It's difficult to look at the damage to the homes and look around the town and call this a situation where we're blessed but if you really think about it the fact that everybody that woke up in Forney yesterday morning is still alive today in Forney that's a real blessing. Zero fatalities."
Rozell says it was the city's successful storm warning system that kept the city's people informed, and safe.
"Our outdoor sirens went off to let the folks know that we did have a storm coming. We also have a system set up where by folks can be notified by text, email, or phone. That system worked," Rozell says.
He also praises the Forney city staff for their quick action in helping people deal with the damage.
"They were out on the street doing their job to take care of what they saw as the problem. In some cases without even knowing if their families were okay."
Now, it's time to assess the tornado's destruction.
Detective Michael Clay with the Forney Police Department says, "Unofficially there are 95 homes that were hit or damaged. We say unofficially because we haven't to the total assessment."
Even though a large chunk of Forney lays in ruins, the city is inching toward the clean up process with a positive attitude.
Rozell says, "We're still assessing everything right now but to really think about it, we're truly blessed."
Of those approximately 95 homes that were damaged, Forney police say 22 were destroyed. A lot of those homes were in a subdivision within the city called Diamond Creek.
Forney Police say there were seven reported injuries. Three of those people were hospitalized, but the good news is that none of those injuries are major.
The Red Cross has estimated that about 650 homes in North Texas were damaged, with some structures a total loss.
Forney's mayor has signed the papers needed to declare the city a disaster area.
