AGS NEWS – At least 18 people, including four children, lost their lives when suspected tornadoes swept through the central United States overnight on Sunday, May 26.

The storms left hundreds injured and caused widespread destruction across Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas, demolishing homes and a truck stop where many sought refuge in a restroom.

The most severe damage occurred in a region from north of Dallas to northwest Arkansas, with further violent weather expected to impact other parts of the Midwest.

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By Monday, May 27, the greatest risk was forecasted to shift east, covering areas from Alabama to near New York City.

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear declared a state of emergency early Monday, citing multiple reports of wind damage and tornadoes.

Seven deaths were reported in Cooke County, Texas, near the Oklahoma border, where a tornado struck a rural area near a mobile home park, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said. Among the dead were two children, ages 2 and 5.

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In Oklahoma, storms killed two people and destroyed houses, including injuring guests at an outdoor wedding. Arkansas reported eight deaths, and one person died in Kentucky.

Tens of thousands were left without power across the region.

In Texas, about 100 people were injured, and more than 200 homes and structures were destroyed, particularly in Valley View, where winds reached up to 135 mph.

Governor Abbott amended a severe weather disaster declaration to include Denton, Montague, Cooke, and Collin counties.

Hugo Parra, a resident of Farmers Branch, north of Dallas, survived the storm with 40 to 50 people in a truck stop bathroom. The storm destroyed the building’s roof and walls.

Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders confirmed eight deaths statewide, including a 26-year-old woman found outside a destroyed home in Boone County.

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In Oklahoma, two people died in Mayes County, and in Kentucky, a man was killed in Louisville when a tree fell on him.

Authorities and meteorologists issued urgent warnings for residents to seek cover as the storms moved through the region.

The National Weather Service office in Norman, Oklahoma, stressed the need for immediate shelter on social media.