By Julie Fisher, KTXT-FM News
LUBBOCK- High winds across the south plains have caused serious damages and injuries this afternoon. According to the Lubbock Power and Light outage map, at 3:30 Wednesday afternoon at least 17 power outage reports were listed within the Lubbock city limits at one time. LP&L crews are working on restoring power to the region. Fire alarms went off at Preston Smith Library due to the amount of sand in the air.
TxDOT has closed the North and Southbound lanes of I27 near FM 1729 between Abernathy and New Deal due to multiple serious accidents on the roadway. Cpl. John Gonzales with the Department of Public Safety said there were 6 or 7 accidents involving at least 23 vehicles. One man was pronounced dead on the scene after rear-ending a tractor trailer, and at least 17 others were taken to the hospital due to the afternoon crashes. Most of the crashes occurred in the southbound lane of the interstate. As of 5:00 pm the crash scenes had been cleared and TxDOT’s website says the highway will reopen at 7:00 pm, however due to 0% visibility the roadway could be closed indefinitely throughout the evening. Area farmers are running sand-fighters in an effort to reduce blowing dirt.
The entire South Plains, Panhandle, and Permian Basin regions are under a High Wind warning through today. Please take extreme caution while traveling, and avoid driving if possible.
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