At least four individuals, including an infant, have died and over 100 were injured in Oklahoma following devastating tornadoes that struck the state, leaving thousands without power.
The town of Sulphur, home to approximately 5,000 people, bore the brunt of the destruction with entire buildings demolished, vehicles overturned, and roofs torn off homes, as reported by the Associated Press.
“Downtown seems to have been completely decimated,” one local noted.
On Sunday, Governor Stitt announced the activation of the State Emergency Operations Center to manage the severe weather impacting the region.
The casualties included two deaths in Holdenville and one near Marietta, as per CNN reports, which cited a spokesperson from the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security. A fourth death was confirmed in Sulphur, where 30 others were also injured.
The National Weather Service confirmed that the tornadoes, reaching EF-3 strength, struck Sulphur and Marietta on Saturday night, indicating wind speeds exceeding 218 kilometers per hour.
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The extent of statewide damage is still being assessed by the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management.
Moreover, significant tornado threats loomed over several cities including Dallas and Austin in Texas; Oklahoma City and Tulsa in Oklahoma; Wichita and Topeka in Kansas; and the Kansas City metropolitan area, according to CNN. More than 4 million people were under tornado watches on Sunday night.
Severe storms were also expected to impact eastern Texas, northern Louisiana, western Mississippi, western Arkansas, eastern Oklahoma, and southwestern Missouri.
Earlier on Friday, multiple tornadoes had been reported across five US states, including Nebraska, where the most severe storm moved from rural areas into suburban Omaha.
Tornado warnings had been issued for several states including Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas on Saturday, with alerts also for possible large hail and strong winds.
