Tornadoes tear through parts of Texas, Oklahoma

Tornadoes tore through parts of Texas and Oklahoma on Friday, killing at least one person, injuring dozens of others and leaving dozens of homes and buildings in ruins.

The tornadoes hit hard in McCurtain County, Oklahoma, in the southeastern corner of the state and Gov. Kevin Stitt toured the town of Idabel on Saturday morning, according to state Department of Emergency Management spokesperson Keli Cain.

"There's a lot of damage," Cain said. "There are well over 100 homes and businesses damaged, from minor damage to totally destroyed."

Cody McDaniel, the county's emergency manager, confirmed one death although he didn't immediately provide details.

The small town of about 7,000 had a church, medical centre and a school torn apart.

"Praying for Oklahomans impacted by today's tornadoes," Stitt tweeted.

"There was total destruction on the south and east sides of Idabel," Steven Carter, an emergency management co-ordinator for McCurtain County, told the Texarkana Gazette.

People trapped, rescue teams sent

Carter told the paper people remained trapped late Friday.

Stitt said search-and-rescue teams and generators were being sent to the Idabel area.

Keli Cain of the Oklahoma Emergency Management Office said at least three other counties were also hit by storms, with flash flooding in some areas.

The National Weather Service said tornadoes also were reported in Texas and Arkansas and a storm system was heading toward Louisiana.

In Texas, authorities in Lamar County said at least 50 homes were damaged or destroyed and 10 people were treated at one hospital, including two with critical injuries. No deaths were immediately reported.

Disaster declared

Judge Brandon Bell, the county's highest elected official, declared a disaster in the area, a step in getting federal assistance and funding. Bell's declaration said at least two dozen people were injured across the county.

One community hit hard was Powderly, about 72 kilometres west of Idabel and about 193 kilometres northeast of Dallas. Both Powderly and Idabel are near the Texas-Oklahoma border.

The Lamar County Sheriff's Office and Emergency Management said the tornado touched down shortly after 4 p.m. local time and travelled north-northeast through the communities of Hopewell, Caviness, Beaver Creek and Powderly.

Randi Johnson, chief of the Powderly Volunteer Fire Department, told The Paris News newspaper that she wasn't aware anyone had been killed but knew of injuries.

"It's going to take a long time to get this cleaned up, but the community came together," Johnson said. "It's really heartbreaking to see."

Churches opened their doors to serve as shelters for those whose homes were impacted.