At least one person has been confirmed dead and two others injured following tornadoes that tore through parts of Texas and Oklahoma on Friday, leaving dozens of homes and buildings in ruins.
According to reports, tornadoes hit hard in McCurtain County, Oklahoma, in the southeastern corner of the state, including the small town of Idabel which saw a church, medical centre and a school torn apart.
An emergency management coordinator for McCurtain County, Steven Carter said that “there was total destruction on the south and east sides of Idabel, adding that people were still trapped late Friday”.
In his reaction to the development via a tweet, Gov. Kevin Stitt said “Praying for Oklahomans impacted by today’s tornadoes, adding that search-and-rescue teams and generators had been sent to the Idabel area”.
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Keli Cain of the Oklahoma Emergency Management Office said that at least three other counties were also hit by storms, with flash flooding in some areas. This is even as the National Weather Service said tornadoes also were reported in Texas and Arkansas and a storm system was heading toward Louisiana.
Authorities in Texas’s Lamar County said that at least 50 homes were damaged or destroyed and 10 people were treated at one hospital, including two with critical injuries. No deaths were immediately reported.
The county’s highest elected official, Judge Brandon Bell was said to have declared a disaster in the area, a step in getting federal assistance and funding. Bell’s declaration told at least two dozen people were injured across the county.
According to reports, one of the hardest hit communities was Powderly which is about 45 miles (72 kilometres) west of Idabel and about 120 miles (193 kilometres) northeast of Dallas. Both Powderly and Idabel are near the Texas-Oklahoma border.
The Lamar County Sheriff’s Office and Emergency Management said the tornado touched down shortly after 4 p.m. and travelled north-northeast through Hopewell, Caviness, Beaver Creek and Powderly communities.
Chief of the Powderly Volunteer Fire Department, Randi Johnson was quoted as saying that she wasn’t aware anyone had been killed but knew of injuries. Churches were said to have opened their doors to serve as shelters for those whose homes were impacted.
Story was adapted from abcnews.
