High winds blow 64 train cars off of bridge on Loop 287 West in Lufkin, Texas

According to TxDOT, the bridge crosses above Loop 287/ North John Redditt Drive, near the Pepsi Cola Bottling Company. Loop 287 from Highway 103 West to Highway 69 North is closed to traffic at this time. Lufkin police sergeant Dale Jowell said 64 empty train cars blew over. Jowell said the cars were blown over around 7 a.m. by what is believed to be straight line winds. Several street signs, power lines, and trees were also blown down. Billboards in the area were also damaged. “This morning we were still in bed and we just heard like a big thump and we ran outside thinking maybe it was a tree or something,” said Leticia Rico, a Lufkin resident. But what Leticia Rico and her family heard was much more than a downed tree. It was multiple train cars blown completely off of their tracks.