Powerful storms killed at least 19 people, injured hundreds and left a wide trail of destruction across Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Kentucky.
Powerful storms killed at least 19 people, injured hundreds and left a wide trail of destruction across Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Kentucky, obliterating homes and destroying a truck stop where dozens sought shelter in a restroom during the latest deadly weather to strike the central U.S.
The storms inflicted their worst damage in a region spanning from north of Dallas to the northwest corner of Arkansas, and the system threatened to bring more violent weather to other parts of the Midwest. On Monday, forecasters said, the greatest risk would shift to the east, covering a broad swath of the country from Alabama to near New York City.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear declared a state of emergency early Monday in a post on social media platform X, citing « multiple reports of wind damage and tornadoes. »
Falling trees killed at least two people in Kentucky, authorities said. One death was confirmed in Mercer County early Monday — a person was pronounced dead inside and a second person was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The second such death was reported in Louisville, where a man was killed Sunday, police said. Louisville Mayor Craig Greenburg confirmed on social media it was a storm-related death.
Seven deaths were reported in Valley View in Cooke County, Texas, near the Oklahoma border, where a tornado Saturday night plowed through a rural area near a mobile home park, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said at a news conference Sunday. The dead included two children, ages 2 and 5, and three family members were found dead in one home, according to the county sheriff.
Storms also killed two people and destroyed houses in Oklahoma, where the injured included guests at an outdoor wedding, and eight people in Arkansas.
Tens of thousands of residents were without power across the region.
In Texas, about 100 people were injured and more than 200 homes and structures destroyed, Abbott said, sitting in front of a ravaged truck stop near Valley View, a small agricultural community. The area was among the hardest-hit, with winds reaching an estimated 135 mph, officials said.
« The hopes and dreams of Texas families and small businesses have literally been crushed by storm after storm, » said Abbott, whose state has seen successive bouts of severe weather, including storms that killed eight people .
