'Cannot Be Replaced': Residents Begin To Recover From Recent Tornadoes (Pictures)

Rogelio Aragonez was out on a fishing trip when the tornado blew through Celina, destroying the home he's owned since 1992. Jacob Vaughn

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "18855504",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2",
          
          "watchElement": ".fdn-content-body",
          "astAdList": [
            {
              "adType": "rectangle",
              "displayTargets": "mobile"
            }
          ]
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "17105533",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1",
          
          "watchElement": ".fdn-content-body",
          "astAdList": [
            {
              "adType": "rectangle",
              "displayTargets": "desktop|tablet"
            },{
              "adType": "rectangle",
              "displayTargets": "desktop|tablet|mobile"
            }
          ]
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18349797",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17105532",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25,
          
          "watchElement": ".fdn-content-body",
          "astAdList": [
            {
              "adType": "rectangle",
              "displayTargets": "desktop|tablet"
            },{
              "adType": "rectangle",
              "displayTargets": "desktop|tablet|mobile"
            }
          ]
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18349797",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17105535",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25,
          
          "watchElement": ".fdn-content-body",
          "astAdList": [
            {
              "adType": "leaderboardInlineContent",
              "displayTargets": "desktop|tablet"
            },{
              "adType": "tower",
              "displayTargets": "mobile"
            }
          ]
        }
      ]

Four tornadoes swept across North Texas over the weekend, leaving toppled trees, broken car windows and demolished homes. Days later, the carnage was still present on the sides of roads and in nearby communities. Seven people, including four children, were killed by one of the tornadoes that struck the Valley View area of Cooke County. This was an EF-3 that brought winds of up to 135 mph and cut across three counties, Cooke, Montague and Denton.

Another EF-3 ran through Celina with winds of up to 165 mph, destroying several homes in its path.

Rogelio Aragonez wasn't at his Celina home of 32 years when a tornado blew through town. But, his wife, Maria Aragonez, was. They were both on their land on Wednesday as volunteers from surrounding communities helped clean up the mess left by the storm. "My wife was in here by herself," Rogelio said. Luckily, his grandson lives nearby and went to pick up Maria before a tornado destroyed their home.

Maria said when she got to her grandson's home they headed for the closet. Before they could make it there, the windows in the house started to break. "So, we went into the closet and then we threw a mattress on top of us," she said. "It was terrible. I've never been through one of these. I was screaming and screaming." She said the tornado sounded like a train. She guesses the tornado blew her home away just 10 minutes after she left.

Rogelio and Maria lost a lot of belongings to the tornado, but they still feel lucky. "I'm just glad that all my family's safe," Rogelio said. "All this stuff, it's material stuff. It can be replaced, but the human beings cannot be replaced."

Cleanup efforts continue in both communities as affected residents make plans for recovering and rebuilding. We drove through Cooke County and Celina on Wednesday to see the devastation firsthand.

click to enlarge

Debris is scattered across acres of land in Celina.

Jacob Vaughn

click to enlarge

Several homes on Prairie Meadow Lane in Celina were left with severe damage by the recent tornado

Jacob Vaughn

click to enlarge

Nearly the entire roof on this home on Prairie Meadow Lane was blown away by the tornado that shot through Celina on May 25.

Jacob Vaughn

click to enlarge

This home on Prairie Meadow Lane was one of several destroyed.

Jacob Vaughn

click to enlarge

Another home on Prairie Meadow Lane destroyed by the Celina tornado.

Jacob Vaughn

click to enlarge

The recent tornado ripped away this Valley View gas station sign.

Jacob Vaughn

click to enlarge

A Shell gas station in Cooke County was demolished by the recent tornado.

Jacob Vaughn

click to enlarge

An 18-wheeler was flipped on its side in Cooke County.

Jacob Vaughn

click to enlarge

An RV was flipped on its side as a tornado swept through Cooke County over the weekend.

Jacob Vaughn

click to enlarge

Another flipped RV off I-35E in Cooke County.

Jacob Vaughn