At least two people are dead and others were injured after tornadoes struck Oklahoma, Texas, and Arkansas late Friday, leaving widespread destruction and power outages.
The two people who died were from Oklahoma and Texas, according to reports.
“A heartbreaking site touring Idabel this morning. 100+ homes and businesses destroyed from last night’s storm,” Gov. Kevin Stitt (R-OK) tweeted on Saturday after visiting the impacted areas.
A heartbreaking site touring Idabel this morning. 100+ homes and businesses destroyed from last night's storm.
I will declare a state of emergency in affected counties to ensure these communities have support and resources from the state.
Pray for all those affected. pic.twitter.com/ZEXKChUQ2j
— Governor Kevin Stitt (@GovStitt) November 5, 2022
Stitt issued an emergency declaration on Saturday for four counties in Oklahoma.
“The state stands ready to send all the help, support, and resources southeastern Oklahoma needs to recover and rebuild from this devastating storm. Oklahomans are strong and resilient. We will build back these homes and businesses,” Stitt said in a statement regarding Bryan, Choctaw, LeFlore, and McCurtain Counties.
The governor also noted one confirmed fatality in his state.
Just finished touring the damage in Idabel. What I saw was Oklahomans coming together to help each other. One fatality has been confirmed. We are praying for his family. pic.twitter.com/w0LGWAY3ND
— Governor Kevin Stitt (@GovStitt) November 5, 2022
At least three separate tornadoes also touched down along the Texas-Arkansas border area that included Morris County, Texas. County Judge Doug Reeder stated that one person was killed during the storm in his county, though the identity of the individual was unnamed.
Lamar County, Texas, also declared a disaster after at least two dozen people were injured, according to county officials.
The National Weather Service estimated that the tornado in Lamar County was an EF3, though it is still evaluating the data, according to the Lamar County Sheriff’s Office.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) also released a statement extending the state’s storm response on Saturday.
“The State of Texas stands with Texans and communities impacted by yesterday’s and last night’s severe weather across northeast Texas, and I have deployed all available resources to help respond and recover,” Abbott said.
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) also tweeted his support following the Friday night storms that caused damages in his state.
“Pretty rough night of storms across Arkansas last night with property damage and power outages,” he tweeted. “Grateful for our local first responders and power crews for excellent work.”
Pretty rough night of storms across Arkansas last night with property damage and power outages. Grateful for our local first responders and power crews for excellent work.
— Gov. Asa Hutchinson (@AsaHutchinson) November 5, 2022
More than 20,000 homes in the affected areas were without power as of Saturday evening, according to Poweroutage.us.