Last year's tornado caught many by surprise, including first responders, who are reflecting on their response and lessons learned.

The tornado touched down just after 4 a.m. as many people slept. It was on the ground for less than a half mile and took two minutes before the tornado fell apart.

Some first responders faced challenges trying to get to people who needed help.

"Our fire department, we had some flat tires on a couple of vehicles because of the debris on the road, but we can fix flat tires," Los Fresnos Fire and EMS Chief Gene Daniels said.

From damage to vehicles to facing downed power lines that were still active, first responders overcame the odds.

Now, one year after that deadly EF-1 tornado, the law enforcement and first responder community is learning from what happened.

"That's something that we've been developing in our emergency operation plan here with the city, along with the state, to try to ensure our recovery and mitigation is better," Port Isabel Fire Marshal John Sandoval said.

All that is to better prepare in case there is a next time.

Watch the video above for the full story.