Tractor-trailers weighing tens of thousands of pounds flew through the air. Roofs were ripped off homes, and other houses were left in complete tatters. 
 
 Yet no deaths have been reported after devastating tornadoes worked their way through the Dallas-Forth Worth and Arlington areas of Texas. 
 
 "It looks like the Dallas-Fort Worth area really dodged a bullet," Dallas Mayor Michael Rawlings told CNN. "I mean we've got hundreds and hundreds of homes destroyed but amazingly no fatalities." 
 
 Between six and 13 tornadoes may have touched down Tuesday in north Texas, the National Weather Service in Dallas-Fort Worth said. The number is an estimate pending a survey and damage assessment. 
 
 Rawlings said that as he looked at footage of tractor-trailers tossed about like lightweight toys, he was struck by how lucky it was nobody died. 
 
 "(Those) tractor-trailers were put into the back of homes and those homes were flattened," he said. "It was amazing nobody was in that home." 
 
 The storms left thousands of people without power and destroyed hundreds of homes. 
 
 "We're looking at a miracle here," Rawlings said. "We're looking at something amazing." 
 
 In Arlington, three people were taken to a hospital, and at least 150 homes were destroyed, according to Mayor Robert Cluck. 
 
 "We've done the primary search," Cluck said. "We feel as though we have everybody now, but they won't give up until they have done all the other searches." 
 
 Residents described scenes of horror and devastation as they watched massive twisters head their way. They all spoke of their terror as they saw debris - glass, cars and parts of houses - flying by them. 
 
 Rescuers will dig through smashed buildings Wednesday, hunting for possible victims of the tornadoes. But for now, it appears that the area may have been spared in a remarkable way. 
 
 "Somehow this whole thing all worked out," Rawlings said. ||||| Thousands of Dallas-Fort Worth area residents got to work Wednesday cleaning up from the worst tornado outbreak in memory. 
 
 They assessed homes and vehicles that were damaged or destroyed. They collected cherished belongings and mourned missing pets. But at least, some remarked, no one had to mourn a lost loved one. 
 
 Miraculously, no one was killed or seriously injured despite up to 13 tornadoes that ripped through the area. 
 
 “We were very, very lucky,” said Dallas City Manager Mary Suhm. “And thank God for the protection he provided.” 
 
 Two factors kept at least a dozen tornadoes from taking human life. Effective warnings issued by the National Weather Service allowed people to evacuate homes and businesses. And many others were at work or at school instead of cowering in their homes. 
 
 The hardest-hit areas were Lancaster, Arlington, Forney and an area of southern Dallas near Hutchins. Comprehensive damage estimates were not available Wednesday, but the human toll was clearly evident as storm victims dealt with losses – family photos, favorite clothes, souvenirs, furniture passed from one generation to the next. 
 
 State Farm Insurance, for example, reported receiving 959 homeowner claims and 3,473 auto claims by morning. Rental car agencies near the damaged areas ran out of cars by 9 a.m. 
 
 Gov. Rick Perry was scheduled to tour the damage areas by helicopter Thursday morning and then hold a news conference to discuss state and federal aid that might be available to stricken communities. 
 
 “We’re thankful that there’s been no reported loss of life … but we know there are a lot of North Texans who are digging out of rubble and seeing lifetime possessions lost to these storms,” Perry said Wednesday. 
 
 Volunteers sprang into action to help the storm victims. Some traded stories about how they survived in bathrooms and closets. Others watched unbelieveable video of debris – complete trailers from 18-wheelers, for example – sailing through darkened skies during the tornado. 
 
 Bill Grasso and a team of relief workers from the Southern Baptist Convention showed up at the Lancaster recreation center, where victims gathered for temporary shelter and meals. They cooked a lunch of grilled chicken and green beans. 
 
 “I just want to serve the Lord,” said Grasso, a retired Garland resident. “I tell people I can’t preach, but I can cook.” 
 
 The storms damaged or destroyed an estimated 430 houses in Arlington. Officials said a single tornado bounced along Highway 287, across Interstate 20 and up Green Oaks Boulevard. Seven people were injured. 
 
 “Of course losing property is not good,” Arlington Mayor Robert Cluck said, “but it's a whole lot better than losing lives or having serious injuries.” 
 
 Storm victims, private contractors, police officers and firefighters worked side by side with volunteers to clean up and make safe neighborhoods devastated by winds of up to 135 mph. 
 
 “That’s really our job here today is to get the neighborhoods back into shape and to help the citizens recover,” Arlington Fire Chief Don Crowson said. 
 
 At the Chesterfield Apartments, just off Highway 287, workers had cleared away much of the debris by Wednesday afternoon. But cars remained tossed atop each other in the parking lot. 
 
 Mazie Newberry, the apartment manager, said the twister wiped out some units in her 11-building complex and left others untouched. 
 
 “All of the metal car ports are gone,” she said. 
 
 Dawanna Cooper said her apartment was badly damaged. After the storm police told her to leave and not come back until further notice. She didn’t know where she would spend Wedneday night. 
 
 “I don't know what the plan is,” she said. “That's what I'm trying to figure out.” 
 
 In Lancaster, a town of 37,000 in southern Dallas County, a steady stream of volunteers arrived at the city library Wednesday morning to sign up for work duty. 
 
 Police sealed off damaged neighborhoods to prevent looting and to prevent sightseers from getting injured by things such as downed power lines. 
 
 “We have to make sure safety is the first order,” Mayor Marcus Knight said. “We realize it's an emotional time, but we have a system and strategy in place.” 
 
 But there were problems. Some residents didn’t understand why they were not allowed back into their homes. Dorcus Dupree worried about the two Rottweilers stuck in her garage without food or water. 
 
 “I'm really attached to my animals and they're really attached to me,” she said. “I'm worried to death about them.” 
 
 Lancaster officials said the storms damaged about 300 structures. Just over 200 people checked into the Lancaster Recreation Center’s emergency shelter, and about 15 people spent the Tuesday night there. 
 
 In Forney, a Kaufman County community of 15,000 , emergency personnel continued to conduct a door-to-door survey in the Diamond Creek subdivision to check on people and help clear dangerous debris. 
 
 The National Weather Service estimated that the Forney tornado packed 150 mph winds. Officials there counted 95 homes damaged and 22 destroyed. But only seven people were hurt – all minor injuries. 
 
 Crosby Elementary School took a direct hit from the tornado. It remained closed Wednesday, its roof a shambles. None of the students, staff or parents hunkered inside suffered serious injuries. 
 
 If not for the quick thinking of the school’s principal, more may have been lost than the roof. 
 
 Principal Justin Vercher helped about 60 kids find shelter when the storm hit, district spokesman Larry Coker said. 
 
 “Mr. Vercher told me that at one point for 20 seconds you could feel the whole building shaking,” Coker said. 
 
 Nearby, Bill Hedges and his family spent all morning cleaning up their house on Pecan Ridge Drive. The windows were shattered and his roof is only half there. 
 
 “I feel fortunate to have any roof,” he said. “Some people don't even have that.” 
 
 Email mrepko@dallasnews.com, crosales@dallasnews.com 
 
 Staff writers Meghan Sikkel, Scott K. Parks, Kristin McKenzie and Valerie Gonzalez contributed to this report.
– Eighteen-wheelers were sent spinning though the air, hundreds of homes were smashed and cars crunched when as many as 13 tornadoes hit the Dallas region—but "miraculously" not a single person lost their lives, said a stunned mayor. "It looks like the Dallas-Fort Worth area really dodged a bullet," Mayor Michael Rawlings told CNN. "We've got hundreds and hundreds of homes destroyed, but amazingly no fatalities. We're looking at a miracle here. We're looking at something amazing." Added Dallas City Manager Mary Suhm: "Thank God for the protection he provided." Three people were injured in nearby Arlington, though not seriously. "We've done the primary search," said Arlington Mayor Robert Cluck. "We feel as though we have everybody now." Observers credit the spared lives to effective warnings from the National Weather Service, and the fact that most people were at work or in school instead of in their homes, which were the hardest hit, reports the Dallas Morning News. The clean up has already begun but it will likely take months. Gov. Rick Perry is scheduled to tour the damage by helicopter today and will hold a news conference to discuss state and federal aid that will be available to stricken communities.