Tornadoes Rip Through Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas; At Least 15 Dead
At least 15 people, including two children, have tragically lost their lives as powerful storms swept through the states of Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas in the central US over the Memorial Day weekend. The devastation caused by the tornadoes has left homes destroyed and thousands without power.
The deadly storms claimed seven lives in Cooke County, Texas, near the Oklahoma border, where a tornado tore through a rural area near a mobile home park on Saturday night. Among the victims were two young children, aged 2 and 5, as well as three members of a family, according to Cooke County Sheriff Ray Sappington.
The destructive tornado ripped apart houses, businesses, and mobile homes, while also uprooting trees and power lines in the area near Valley View. The aftermath of the storm left a trail of debris and severe devastation, with 60 to 80 people reportedly injured at a truck stop called the AP Travel Center on Interstate 35.
In neighboring Denton County, closer to Dallas, semitrailers were overturned, and multiple people were taken to hospitals, some by helicopter, due to the extent of their injuries. The widespread impact of the storms also left over 470,000 people without power in states stretching from Texas to Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Kentucky.
Residents like Hugo Parra, who sought shelter in a gas station bathroom with dozens of others during the storm, described the harrowing experience as the wind tried to rip them out of the building. In Arkansas, at least five people were reported killed, including a 26-year-old woman found dead outside a destroyed home in Olvey.
The devastation also reached Oklahoma, where two people lost their lives, and search and rescue efforts were ongoing in the affected areas. In Claremore, 23 people were injured, with 19 victims transported to local hospitals, three of whom sustained life-threatening injuries.
The impact of the tornadoes was felt across multiple states, with Governor Andy Beshear confirming at least one death in Kentucky. The communities affected by the deadly storms are now left to pick up the pieces and rebuild in the wake of this tragic natural disaster.