How Jarrell remembers the victims of the 1997 tornado

JARRELL, Texas — You don’t have to look far in the Jarrell, Texas, area to find something honoring the victims of the 1997 tornado.

Down County Road 305, just a few miles from its original location closer to the interstate, is Jarrell Memorial Park. It’s a peaceful, quiet setting where you can study the 27 names, etched in stone, of the storm’s victims. The monument is surrounded by 27 trees, planted in the victims’ memory.

A few miles up Interstate 35, there’s more to study. At the Bell County Safety Rest Area, there’s your normal restroom — right next to a storm shelter.

Inside the storm shelter are images of Jarrell, and images of other tornadoes that rocked the Lone Star State. And if you want to learn about how tornadoes form — and how Texans respond — it just takes a push of a button.

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