Stories of survival and heartbreak after deadly tornado in Perryton: Reporter's notebook

PERRYTON, TEXAS -- Perryton is a rural town that sits in the panhandle of Texas, minutes from the Oklahoma border. To say it's small would be an understatement -- its population is around 9,000. In a town like this, everybody knows everybody, and the pain brought on by the recent tornado is felt by all.

The town is reeling over the loss of three people, including an 11-year-old boy. On Thursday evening, crews searched for one missing person. By Friday afternoon, everyone was accounted for.

Tommy Kerbl says he was visiting his daughter Thursday afternoon in Perryton when the tornado watch was issued. He was no more than a mile away when her tiny trailer park neighborhood on the west side of town was hit, taking out more than a dozen homes. He helped with search and rescue efforts for hours, finding the body of 11-year-old Matthew Ramirez, who was thrown more than 150 yards from his home, one of the three casualties.

"It's such a panic mode. Mom was screaming, crying," Kerbl told ABC News. "There was nothing we could do but cover the kid up."

While more than 200 structures were completely demolished in Perryton by the tornado, this neighborhood was hit the first and presumably the worst. Friday morning, we caught up with Fire Chief Paul Dutcher as crews worked to put out another smoldering fire in the area.

"I've never seen anything like this in my 33 years doing this," Dutcher said as he held back tears. "We know these people. They go to our church; they live and volunteer here."

A block away, Julio Garcia Merces is standing guard outside what used to be his daughter's trailer home. The structure is barely standing; the roof and walls are torn apart, and a neighbor's trailer seems to have landed on the back end of her home.

Merces, with a bloody bandage on his face, takes us inside and, in Spanish, tells us a harrowing story of survival. He says people were home when the alert came in. There was no time to drive anywhere. They huddled in a back room and hallway, eventually taking refuge in a bathroom, he says.

As Merces got everyone in the 3-by-4 room, he says he fought the wind. It threw him up in the air and against the particle-board walls like a rag doll. His blood splattered on the cream-colored walls as proof.

In Spanish, he explains how he yelled out to God to save and protect them. And, he says, the Lord was listening. They all survived and are now staying at a small hotel nearby while they figure out what's next.

As we packed up to leave, he broke down, weeping in front of us, once again thanking God for the protection and us for listening.