Dawn broke over scenes of devastation in several counties across Oklahoma on Sunday, with reports of severe structural damage, closed highways, blackouts, injuries and at least one death.
It came just a day after a preliminary 106 tornadoes leveled homes and buildings in six states on Friday, with Nebraska and Iowa the hardest hit, officials said.
The weather service office in Norman, Oklahoma, confirmed late on Saturday that multiple tornadoes were in its area, including one near Davenport and more than one in the area of Sulphur, a small town of about 5000 people 80 miles south of Oklahoma City.
Footage emerging on social media in the early hours of Sunday showed heavy damage across Sulphur, including toppled trees and scattered bricks and wooden beams. Buildings in the downtown area appeared to have sustained significant structural damage, including blown-out windows and missing walls. Others appeared to have been reduced to rubble.
Despite heavy damage to some residents’ homes, including those belonging to three Omaha firefighters and two police commanders, officials on Saturday were grateful that it wasn’t worse.
Speaking at an afternoon news conference, Stothert said she planned to sign an emergency declaration, which would allow residents to tap state and federal recovery aid.