By F. Brinley Bruton
At least 10 people were unaccounted for early Monday after a tornado roared through a city east of Dallas in the middle of the night and caused extensive damage, authorities said. Three people were confirmed dead in Texas and Arkansas.
In the city of Van, Texas, officers with search dogs went door to door looking for people trapped in dozens of homes that were damaged or reduced to splinters. Cars were crushed, and the windows of an elementary school were blown out.
Morgan Warrington, a high school senior from Van, told NBC News that her parents' house was just outside the storm. Her aunt was not so lucky.
"She lost everything," Warrington said. "Her and her kids, and my grandma and her husband, had been at her house when it hit. Everyone is OK, but their house and the whole street was completely demolished. They're fine, just sore and bruised."
Alex Lopez told NBC DFW: "The people you hung out with a few days ago don't have homes anymore."
At least 26 people in Van were injured.
One person died in a flood in Corsicana, Texas, where 10 inches of rain fell in five hours. Two were killed at a mobile home park in Nashville, Arkansas, which was hammered by "lots of flooding and strong winds," Arkansas Department of Emergency Management spokesman Rick Fahr said.
"This town is literally torn apart," Kamron Westbrook, a 19-year-old college student, told NBC News.
She said her family had retreated to a friend's house farther from the storm, but "driving around this morning it's way worse than we had heard about."
She added: "Multiple trees have been uprooted and are laying on houses along with power lines. Vehicles are smashed and debris is scattered everywhere."
At least 26 tornadoes were reported across the middle of the country on Sunday, and more rough weather was on the way. Up to 50 million Americans from Texas to Michigan were in the path of an expected band of thunderstorms on Monday.
The tornado threat was not expected to be as high, but large hail and damaging winds were psosible, including for Detroit and Columbus, Ohio.
In Van, a city of 2,600 people an hour east of Dallas, the tornado caused damage to about a third of the city, authorities said.
Conor McCroreyA tornado approaches an area near Van, Texas, on Sunday.
"Damages range from completely destroyed homes, damaged homes, to trees and power lines down," said Chuck Allen, emergency management coordinator for Van Zandt County.
Nick Willkillurson, an 18-year-old student at Van High School, said the damage in the area was "horrible."
He told NBC News there were "trees uprooted and windows broken out of the school. The tennis courts were completely gone."
Around 100 local people had taken shelter in a local church and had been ordered not to leave, according to NBC station KETK.
Officials repeatedly requested people stay away from the damaged area to let rescue worker do their jobs.
Speaking to KETK, Van resident Chris Duwe described the moments the tornado hit.
"As soon as we opened the door up, boom, it was right there. Loud winds, high winds, rain," he added. "And as soon as we got us and the dogs in the bathroom, and closed that door, bam, the house was gone."
Emergency workers spent early Monday going door to door in search of other victims.
"Once we get daylight, we will be able to identify areas that are affected and lead responders in to verify the [houses] are clear of any individuals needing medical attention," Allen said.
The severe weather struck the Texas city around 8:45 p.m. local time (9:45 p.m. ET). At 6:10 a.m. ET, approximately 28,040 people were without power across the state.
The area also saw heavy rains and widespread flash flooding. Two groups of people had to be airlifted to safety on Sunday, authorities in Denton County said.
Elsewhere, more than 100 people were in a high school in Lake City, Iowa, when a tornado hit the building, NBC station WHO-HD reported. "Most of the roof of the building was torn off," witness Austin Jacobs added. "There was debris everywhere."
According to The Weather Channel's Kevin Roth, tornadoes remained a hazard on Monday with coastal Texas, including Houston, staying under a tornado warning until noon local time (1 p.m. ET), he said.
"Anywhere from eastern Texas up to southern Michigan there is a threat of tornadoes in the mid-to-late afternoon," Roth added.
A rare May snowstorm that brought more than a foot of snow to parts of South Dakota and Wyoming was set to end by Monday morning, according to forecasters.
The remnants of Tropical Storm Ana was also set to continue drenching North Carolina. Meteorologists warned that minor flooding was possible.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
First published May 11 2015, 1:05 AM
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