MCCURTAIN COUNTY, Okla. – At least two people were was killed and dozens more were injured as a string of tornadoes roared through parts of Oklahoma and Texas on Friday, authorities said.
Multiple people were missing and dozens of homes were damaged by the twisters, which hit the southeastern Oklahoma areas of Idabel, Broken Bow, Pickens and other parts of McCurtain County, KOKI-TV reported.
Second person dies as a result of tornadoes
Update 6:28 p.m. EDT Nov. 5: Doug Reeder, a judge in Morris County, Texas, said in a social media post that one person died as a result of a tornado but offered no other details, according to The Associated Press.
Earlier, Cody McDaniel, McCurtain County’s emergency manager, told KOKI-TV that one person had died in the Oklahoma county as a result of the storms.
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt went to the town of Idabel to assess the damage, according to The Associated Press. The governor said on social media that a 90-year-old man was killed.
Keli Cain, a spokesperson for the state’s Department of Emergency Management, said the man’s body was found at his home in the Pickens area of McCurtain County north of Idabel.
In a statement, Stitt said he declared a state of emergency in Bryan, McCurtain, Choctaw, and LeFlore counties
Original report: “Roads are still blocked and we’re trying to cut into those places,” Cody McDaniel, McCurtain County’s emergency manager, told KOKI-TV.
McDaniel also confirmed to KOKI that there was one death in McCurtain County.
In Idabel, a church, medical center and school were severely damaged, according to The Associated Press.
“There was total destruction on the south and east sides of Idabel,” Steven Carter, an emergency management coordinator for McCurtain County, told Texarkana Gazette.
There were reports of power lines down between Broken Bow and Eagletown, according to the newspaper.
“It’s bad. Expect Eagletown to be out of power for a couple of days,” a spokesperson for the Eagletown Volunteer Fire Department told the Gazette. “It cut a path from Idabel.”
In northern Texas, one of the hardest hit areas was in Paris in Lamar County, KDFW reported.
Paris. located 105 miles northeast of Dallas, suffered “significant” damage, with a “miles-long trail of destruction” hitting an area about 10 miles north of the city, according to The Paris News.
Powderly, about 45 miles west of Idabel, was hit particularly hard by the storms.
“It’s going to take a long time to get this cleaned up, but the community came together,” Powderly Volunteer Fire Department Chief Randi Johnson told the newspaper. “It’s really heartbreaking to see.”
Lamar County Judge Brandon Bell issued an official declaration of disaster for the county, according to the News. In a news release, county officials said that 50 homes were damaged or destroyed and 10 people were treated at one hospital, including two with critical injuries, the AP reported.
“Praying for Oklahomans impacted by today’s tornadoes,” Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt tweeted. “Storms hit in Bryan, Choctaw and Le Flore counties, among others. Additional flash flooding in some areas.”
U.S. Sen. James Lankford also offered support for the Idabel community Friday.
“Cindy and I are praying for the community of Idabel. My office will make sure they have everything they need in the days ahead,” Lankford tweeted.
According to the National Weather Service, tornadoes were also reported in Arkansas, and storms were also heading toward Louisiana, according to the AP.
