The fierce storms left a trail of overturned vehicles, mangled trees and damaged homes in Missouri, Arkansas and Texas on Sunday with six people already confirmed dead.
Severe storms including tornadoes, flooding and strong winds have killed at least six people and injured dozens more across three US states.
The fierce storms left a trail of overturned vehicles, mangled trees and damaged homes in Missouri, Arkansas and Texas, authorities said on Sunday.
A 65-year-old woman, Julia Schwede, was killed in Arkansas when a tree was blown into her home on Saturday night. In Missouri, a 72-year-old woman drowned despite her husband’s efforts to save her as their vehicle was swept away by flash flooding.
At least four people were killed in Texas in a series of tornadoes that left a trail of overturned vehicles, mangled trees and damaged homes.
The storms were headed east into Mississippi and Alabama on Sunday.
In Texas, search teams were going door to door Sunday – a day after storms cut a path of destruction 35 miles long and 15 miles wide in Van Zandt County. The largely rural area is about 50 miles east of Dallas.
‘It is heartbreaking and upsetting to say the least, ‘ Canton Mayor Lou Ann Everett said.
Video from local television stations showed uprooted trees and overturned cars along rural, wet roadways, along with flattened homes. The storms flipped pickup trucks at a Dodge dealership in Canton and tore through the business.
Everett said authorities had confirmed four deaths in the area, down from the five deaths reported earlier, but cautioned that ‘it is a very fluid situation and that could change.’
Searchers were using dogs to determine whether anyone was trapped or needed help.
Fifty-six people were treated at three hospitals and six remained hospitalized Sunday morning, two of them in critical condition, ETMC Regional Health Care Systems spokeswoman Rebecca Berkley said.
Officials urged people to stay away from the area. Rescue workers were dealing with gas leaks and downed power lines and trees. Fences also had been blown over, meaning livestock in the farming and ranching area were roaming free.
‘It’s a very dangerous situation out there, ‘ Judge Don Kirkpatrick, the county’s chief executive, said.
The National Weather Service confirmed at least three tornadoes swept through parts of three counties, with two of the twisters tracking nearly the entire south-to-north length of Van Zandt County.
The first reports of tornadoes came about 4.45pm Saturday, but emergency crews were hampered by continuing severe weather.
‘We’d be out there working and get a report of another tornado on the ground, ‘ Kirkpatrick said.
One resident, Ernestine Cook, told Dallas television station WFAA she rushed to a storm center just in time.
‘It hit so hard, so fast. It just kept moving, ‘ she said. ‘I’ve never seen anything like it after 22 years of living here.’
Oncor, the electric utility that serves the area, reported more than 4,500 customers were without power late Sunday morning. Everett said about 30 crews from around Texas were arriving to restore electricity. Five major transmission towers were toppled and some were difficult to reach. Cellphone service was described as ‘spotty.’
Canton is known throughout Texas and neighboring states for its First Monday Trading Days, a monthly flea market that draws thousands of people and goes back 150 years. Everett said the grounds of the market were spared from serious damage, although power lines and trees were down.
In Missouri and Arkansas, some roads remained closed Sunday because of flooding. Missouri reported nearly 100 evacuations and three dozen rescues Saturday. In Arkansas, utilities said tens of thousands of customers were without power.
