() –– At least one person has died and several people are missing after more than a dozen tornadoes hit Oklahoma, Texas and Arkansas on Friday night, damaging homes and knocking out power to thousands as authorities launch search and rescue efforts.
The person who died was in McCurtain County in southeastern Oklahoma, which suffered significant storm damage after a possible tornado impacted the town of Idabel, county emergency manager Cody McDaniel said. There are “multiple missing persons,” he said.
On Friday night, authorities were trying to determine the extent of the damage and injuries, McDaniel said, adding, “Not good.”
In Texas, near the state line with Oklahoma, at least 50 homes were damaged or destroyed in Lamar County as of Friday night, the sheriff’s office said.
Tornado warnings were in effect in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Missouri on Friday night, meaning tornadoes were reported to be on the ground or indicated by weather radar. The weather service advises residents in warning areas to move to a safe place like a basement or interior room.
A preliminary count taken Friday night from the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center shows nine tornadoes formed in Texas, four in Arkansas and one in Oklahoma.
Tornado damage in Hopkins County, Texas.
Nighttime tornadoes can be particularly dangerous because they can be difficult to see as they move quickly through an area, and it’s also more difficult to ensure residents are warned during those hours.
Additionally, more than 90,000 homes and businesses were without power in Arkansas, Louisiana, southeastern Oklahoma and eastern Texas since early Saturday morning, According to Poweroutage.us.
Most of the Texas tornadoes that were reported occurred along the Red River-Oklahoma border, with widespread damage reported in two counties.
The National Weather Service confirmed Friday overnight that a tornado moving at 45 mph (72 km/h) was spotted over the town of Wrightsville in Pulaski County, Arkansas, just south of Little Rock.
The number of recorded tornadoes is likely to increase on Saturday, and the intensity of each one won’t be known until local National Weather Service offices conduct damage surveys, which could take several days.
Tornado and severe thunderstorm watches for the region lasted into early Saturday morning.
Tornado damage in Lamar County, Texas.
Texas county declares disaster
Lamar County officials declared a disaster after at least 10 people were injured when a tornado hit the area, according to a news release from the county sheriff’s office. No deaths have been reported.
Two of those injured suffered serious injuries, the sheriff’s office said. Earlier Friday, a first responder was injured during storms in the county and underwent surgery, County Sheriff Steven Hill told .
“There’s been quite a bit of damage and some injuries,” Lamar County Sheriff Travis Rhodes told on Friday night.
In nearby Hopkins County, at least four homes were damaged Friday, according to the county sheriff’s office.
Tornado touches down in Sulfur Springs, Texas.
A woman in Choctaw County, Oklahoma was injured by a falling tree while trying to reach a storm shelter, Lewis Collins, a volunteer with the Choctaw Office of Emergency Management, told . It is not clear if a tornado occurred in that area.
Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt said he is praying for those affected by the tornadoes.
“Search and rescue teams and generators sent to the Idabel area,” he lamented. “The storms hit Bryan, Choctaw and Le Flore counties, among others. And there was additional flash flooding in some areas.”
The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security is urging residents to report storm damage online to help coordinate their response.
‘s Tina Burnside, Gene Norman, Monica Garrett, Allison Chinchar, Dave Alsup, Amanda Musa and Andy Rose contributed to this report.
