'Terrible' Moment Family Finds Their Dog Killed by Tornado

A family returned to their Texas home only to find one of their dogs had been killed and their home reduced to rubble after a tornado tore through the area last week.

The tornado ripped through Hawley, Texas, on May 2 and was deemed an EF3 by the National Weather Service (NWS), which means wind speeds are 136 to 165 miles per hour. Wind speeds during this storm peaked at 165 mph. Four injuries were reported, according to the NWS, but no deaths occurred.

Texas resident Christy Shannon and her family weren't home at the time of the tornado, but her mother, Denise Thurston Del Santo, described the extensive damage to their property in a Facebook post.

"Please pray for my Daughter Christy and her family. They were not home and they are all ok. They lost everything when a tornado went through their property," Del Santo wrote. "They haven't found the camper they were living in while they were building their house. They have found three of the dogs that were in the camper. Two of the dogs are OK. One did not make it and they are still looking for the third dog."

Del Santo included photos in her post, including a security camera image of the tornado passing by and pictures of the leveled property. Commenters on the post called the moment "terrible" and offered their condolences.

When the tornado hit, Shannon saw a Facebook post about it from extreme weather chaser Thomas Hinterdorfer and thought the image looked familiar.

"I'm not positive, but this looks like the view from the end of our dirt road and it looks like the when the tornado was over our house! I have always wanted to be a storm chaser. Always wanted to hear the tornado train... crazy. I know. Little scared to say I still haven't heard it and so thankful I didn't this day!" Shannon posted.

Newsweek reached out to Shannon through Facebook for comment.

Hinterdorfer wrote in his post that the tornado was "incredibly powerful."

"The audible roar from this tornado was phenomenal as it came towards us and eventually crossed the road in front of us," he said, sharing photos of the storm.

The tornado created a horrifying experience for others as well. Startling footage was shared on social media after a storm chaser rescued an injured family that had been displaced and was fleeing from the tornado on foot.

It's been an active start to the tornado season this year, with 373 landing in the U.S. in April, according to a report by the Austin American-Statesman. Dozens of those tore through Texas.

Texas is the most active state for tornadoes, with an average of 155 touching down per year, according to the Weather Channel.