A few hours before Tuesday’s dawn, emergency sirens sounded in Irving, waking Jocelyin Ramirez. She looked outside her apartment, where she has lived for the past 12 years, and saw high winds take down a power line.

IRVING, Texas — On Tuesday, an EF1 tornado ripped through neighborhoods near Pioneer Drive and North O’Connor Road in Irving. Rene Perdomo and his family woke up to the damage Tuesday morning. “All that loud wind and banging, three seconds at most. Had it been more probably our house wouldn't be here,” Perdomo said.

Much of North Texas remained under a severe thunderstorm warning and a thunderstorm watch Tuesday morning as high winds and heavy rain pummeled the region. The National Weather Service’s Fort Worth office extended the thunderstorm warning to 6:30 a.m., while the tornado watch was in effect until 11 a.m.

A temporary shelter has been set up at Georgia Farrow Recreation Center in Irving after apartment buildings suffered extensive damage, police say.

The Ramirez family is picking up the pieces after a powerful tornado ripped through their Irving, Texas, neighborhood. A GoFundMe page has been established to help them find a new apartment and replace necessities.

Students and families displaced by Tuesday’s tornado in Irving are receiving some much-needed assistance as the cleanup and recovery continue.