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Tornadoes tore through southeastern Oklahoma and northeastern Texas on Friday, killing a 90-year-old man, injuring two dozen others and leaving more than 100 homes and buildings in ruin.
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt surveyed damage in the town of Idabel Saturday, one day after the storms flattened a church, medical center and a school.
In the small town of Idabel, Okla., more than 100 homes and businesses were damaged, ranging from “minor damage to totally destroyed,” said Keli Cain, a spokesperson for the state’s Department of Emergency Management.
Saturday afternoon Stitt declared a state of emergency for McCurtain County, where Idabel is located, and neighboring Bryan, Choctaw and LeFlore counties.
Trinity Baptist Church in Idabel was preparing to complete a new building when the storm ripped apart their sanctuary and flattened the shell of the new structure next door, according to Pastor Don Myer.
The 250-member congregation was to vote after the Sunday service on whether to move ahead with he final work to complete the building, Myer said.
“But we didn’t get to that. Every vote counts and we had one vote trump us all,” Myer, 67, said. “We were right on the verge of that. That’s how close we were.”
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said damage assessments and recovery efforts were under way in northeast Texas and encouraged residents to report damage to the Texas Division of Emergency Management.
“I have deployed all available resources to help respond and recover,” Abbott said in a statement. ”I thank all of our hardworking state and local emergency management personnel for their swift response.”
The National Weather Service said tornadoes also were reported in Arkansas and a storm system on Friday might also impact 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.
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 45 miles west of Idabel and about 120 miles northeast of Dallas. Both Powderly and Idabel are near the Texas-Oklahoma border.
The Lamar County Sheriff’s Office and Emergency Management said a tornado touched down shortly after 4 p.m. and traveled 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.
Earlier Friday, parts of Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana were at risk of stormy conditions, including strong winds, hail and tornadoes Friday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center.
At least 10 million people in that area were placed under a tornado watch by the weather service. It also issued a flash flood threat across parts of northeast Texas, southeast Oklahoma, and western Arkansas.
In Arkansas, college homecoming events were canceled and high school football games were delayed due to the threat of severe weather.
Contributing: The Associated Press
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