A series of violent tornadoes tore through Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas over Memorial Day weekend, leaving at least 19 people dead, hundreds injured, and thousands without power. The storms also flattened homes and caused widespread damage across the central United States.
The Associated Press reported that the worst damage occurred in a region from north of Dallas to the northwest corner of Arkansas. Authorities warned that the dangerous weather system could bring more storms to the Midwest and East Coast in the coming days, impacting areas from Alabama to near New York City.
In Texas, seven people were killed in Cooke County, near the Oklahoma border, as a tornado tore through a rural area near a mobile home park on Saturday night. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott confirmed the fatalities, which included two children, ages 2 and 5.
Three family members were found dead in one home, according to the county sheriff. In total, about 100 people were injured and more than 200 homes and structures were destroyed.
Abbott described the destruction from a devastated truck stop near Valley View: “The hopes and dreams of Texas families and small businesses have been crushed by storm after storm.” The truck stop in a small agricultural community was among the hardest-hit areas, with winds reaching an estimated 135 mph.
The governor issued a disaster proclamation for Denton, Cooke, Montague, and Collin counties in Texas. The National Weather Service teams assessed the damage in these counties, as well as in Montague, Cooke, Denton, and Collins counties, to determine the strength of the tornadoes on the Enhanced Fujita Scale.
The storms also claimed lives in other states. At least eight people were reported killed in Arkansas, including a 26-year-old woman found dead outside a destroyed home in Olvey, a small community in Boone County, according to Daniel Bolen of the county’s emergency management office, CBS News reported.
In Marion County, two more bodies were found, and in Benton County, three people died. In Oklahoma, two people died in Mayes County, and in Kentucky, a man was killed when a tree fell on him in Louisville.
