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World Israel-Hamas War Russia-Ukraine War Global elections Asia Pacific Latin America Europe Africa Middle East China Australia U.S. Election 2024 Election Results Delegate Tracker AP & Elections Global elections Politics Joe Biden Election 2024 Congress Sports MLB NBA NHL NFL Soccer Golf Tennis Auto Racing 2024 Paris Olympic Games Entertainment Movie reviews Book reviews Celebrity Television Music Business Inflation Personal finance Financial Markets Business Highlights Financial wellness Science Fact Check Oddities Health Newsletters Video Photography Climate Personal Finance AP Investigations Tech Artificial Intelligence Social Media Lifestyle Religion AP Buyline Personal Finance AP Buyline Shopping Press Releases World Israel-Hamas War Russia-Ukraine War Global elections Asia Pacific Latin America Europe Africa Middle East China Australia Israel-Hamas War Russia-Ukraine War Global elections Asia Pacific Latin America Europe Africa Middle East China Australia U.S. Election 2024 Election Results Delegate Tracker AP & Elections Global elections Election Results Delegate Tracker AP & Elections Global elections Politics Joe Biden Election 2024 Congress Joe Biden Election 2024 Congress Sports MLB NBA NHL NFL Soccer Golf Tennis Auto Racing 2024 Paris Olympic Games MLB NBA NHL NFL Soccer Golf Tennis Auto Racing 2024 Paris Olympic Games Entertainment Movie reviews Book reviews Celebrity Television Music Movie reviews Book reviews Celebrity Television Music Business Inflation Personal finance Financial Markets Business Highlights Financial wellness Inflation Personal finance Financial Markets Business Highlights Financial wellness Science Fact Check Oddities Health Newsletters Video Photography Climate Personal Finance AP Investigations Tech Artificial Intelligence Social Media Artificial Intelligence Social Media Lifestyle Religion AP Buyline Personal Finance AP Buyline Shopping Press Releases People gathered Saturday morning in the streets in the Elkhorn area of Omaha amid the scattered remains of the homes. Sean Thomas Sledd salvages items from his room after it was hit by a tornado the night before in Sulphur, Okla., Sunday, April 28, 2024. Sledd sought shelter at Oklahoma School for the deaf. (Bryan Terry/The Oklahoman via AP) Sean Thomas Sledd salvages items from his room after it was hit by a tornado the night before in Sulphur, Okla., Sunday, April 28, 2024. Sledd sought shelter at Oklahoma School for the deaf. (Bryan Terry/The Oklahoman via AP) This image taken from video provided by KOCO shows damage caused by a tornado in Sulphur, Okla., Sunday, April 28, 2024. (KOCO via AP) This image taken from video provided by KOCO shows damage caused by a tornado in Sulphur, Okla., Sunday, April 28, 2024. (KOCO via AP) This image taken from video provided by KOCO shows damage caused by a tornado in Sulphur, Okla., Sunday, April 28, 2024. (KOCO via AP) This image taken from video provided by KOCO shows damage caused by a tornado in Sulphur, Okla., Sunday, April 28, 2024. (KOCO via AP) This image taken from video provided by KOCO shows buildings destroyed by a tornado in Sulphur, Okla., Sunday, April 28, 2024. (KOCO via AP) This image taken from video provided by KOCO shows buildings destroyed by a tornado in Sulphur, Okla., Sunday, April 28, 2024. (KOCO via AP) A partially torn off roof is seen on a damaged home in Omaha, Neb., on Saturday, April 27, 2024. Dozens of reported tornadoes wreaked havoc Friday in the Midwest. (Chris Machian/Omaha World-Herald via AP) A partially torn off roof is seen on a damaged home in Omaha, Neb., on Saturday, April 27, 2024. Dozens of reported tornadoes wreaked havoc Friday in the Midwest. (Chris Machian/Omaha World-Herald via AP) This image taken from video provided by KOCO shows a crew working on clearing debris caused by a tornado in Sulphur, Okla., Sunday, April 28, 2024. (KOCO via AP) This image taken from video provided by KOCO shows a crew working on clearing debris caused by a tornado in Sulphur, Okla., Sunday, April 28, 2024. (KOCO via AP) This image taken from video provided by KOCO shows damage caused by a tornado in Sulphur, Okla., Sunday, April 28, 2024. (KOCO via AP) This image taken from video provided by KOCO shows damage caused by a tornado in Sulphur, Okla., Sunday, April 28, 2024. (KOCO via AP) This image taken from video provided by KOCO shows damage caused by a tornado in Sulphur, Okla., Sunday, April 28, 2024. (KOCO via AP) This image taken from video provided by KOCO shows damage caused by a tornado in Sulphur, Okla., Sunday, April 28, 2024. (KOCO via AP) This image taken from video provided by KOCO shows damage caused by a tornado in Sulphur, Okla., Sunday, April 28, 2024. (KOCO via AP) This image taken from video provided by KOCO shows damage caused by a tornado in Sulphur, Okla., Sunday, April 28, 2024. (KOCO via AP) This image taken from video provided by KOCO shows damage caused by a tornado in Sulphur, Okla., Sunday, April 28, 2024. (KOCO via AP) This image taken from video provided by KOCO shows damage caused by a tornado in Sulphur, Okla., Sunday, April 28, 2024. (KOCO via AP) Charlie Schwake walks past his property in Sulphur after a tornado hit the area the night before in Sulphur, Okla., Sunday, April 28, 2024. (Bryan Terry/The Oklahoman via AP) Charlie Schwake walks past his property in Sulphur after a tornado hit the area the night before in Sulphur, Okla., Sunday, April 28, 2024. (Bryan Terry/The Oklahoman via AP) A man is surrounded by tornado damage after severe storms moved through the night before in Sulphur, Okla., Sunday, April 28, 2024. (Bryan Terry/The Oklahoman via AP) A man is surrounded by tornado damage after severe storms moved through the night before in Sulphur, Okla., Sunday, April 28, 2024. (Bryan Terry/The Oklahoman via AP) People look at tornado damage in Sulphur, Okla., Sunday, April 28, 2024, after severe storms hit the area the night before. (Bryan Terry/The Oklahoman via AP) People look at tornado damage in Sulphur, Okla., Sunday, April 28, 2024, after severe storms hit the area the night before. (Bryan Terry/The Oklahoman via AP) Tornado damage in Sulphur, Okla., is pictured on Sunday, April 28, 2024, after severe storms hit the area the night before. (Bryan Terry/The Oklahoman via AP) Tornado damage in Sulphur, Okla., is pictured on Sunday, April 28, 2024, after severe storms hit the area the night before. (Bryan Terry/The Oklahoman via AP) A man walks past tornado damage in Sulphur, Okla., Sunday, April 28, 2024, after severe storms hit the area the night before. (Bryan Terry/The Oklahoman via AP) A man walks past tornado damage in Sulphur, Okla., Sunday, April 28, 2024, after severe storms hit the area the night before. (Bryan Terry/The Oklahoman via AP) SULPHUR, Okla. (AP) — Tornadoes killed at least four people in Oklahoma and left thousands without power Sunday after a destructive outbreak of severe weather flattened buildings in the heart of one rural town and injured dozens of people. Nearly 30,000 people remained without electricity after tornadoes began late Saturday night. The destruction was extensive in Sulphur, a town of about 5,000 people, where many downtown buildings were reduced to rubble and roofs were sheared off houses across a 15-block radius. "You just can’t believe the destruction,” Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt said during a visit to the hard-hit town. "It seems like every business downtown has been destroyed.” Stitt said about 30 people were injured in Sulphur alone. Dozens of reported tornadoes have wreaked havoc in the nation’s midsection since Friday, with flood watches and warnings in effect Sunday for Oklahoma and other states — including Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas and Texas. Authorities said the tornado in Sulphur began in a city park before tearing through the downtown, flipping cars and ripping the roofs and walls off brick buildings. Windows and doors were blown out of structures that remained standing. Stitt said one of the victims was found in the bar in Sulphur, where about 20 people were sheltering inside when the storm hit. The injured were taken to the hospital and released. Carolyn Goodman traveled to Sulphur from the nearby town of Ada in search of her former sister-in-law, who Goodman said was at a local bar before just before the tornado hit the area. "The bar was destroyed,” Goodman said. "I know they probably won’t find her alive... but I hope she is still alive.” In Oklahoma, a tornado ripped through Holdenville, a town of about 5,000 people, late Saturday, killing two people, and injuring four others, Hughes County Emergency Medical Services said. Another person was killed along Interstate 35 near the southern Oklahoma city of Marietta, according to the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management. A hospital was damaged in the town and authorities closed an interstate at the state line with Texas due to overturned vehicles and downed power lines. In Holdenville, houses were demolished and road signs were bent to the ground in the community roughly 80 miles (130 kilometers) from Oklahoma City. The sound of chainsaws could be heard in the distance as workers began tackling the damage. A man is surrounded by tornado damage after severe storms moved through the night before in Sulphur, Okla., Sunday, April 28, 2024. (Bryan Terry/The Oklahoman via AP) Stitt issued an executive order Sunday declaring a state of emergency in 12 counties due to the fallout from the severe weather as crews worked to clear debris and assess damage from the severe storms that downed power lines Nearly 30,000 customers were without power in Oklahoma as of midday Sunday, according to poweroutage.us, which tracks electric utility outages. In Texas, nearly 52,000 customers were without power. At the Sulphur High School gym, families took cover from the storm late Saturday as tornadoes ravaged the area. Jackalyn Wright said she and her family sheltered at the school’s gym and heard what sounded like a helicopter as the tornado touched down over them. Chad Smith, 43, said people ran into the gym as the wind picked up, the rain started coming faster and the doors slammed shut. "Just give me a beer and a lawn chair and I will sit outside and watch it,” Smith said. Intead, he took cover. Residents in other states were also digging out from storm damage. A tornado in suburban Omaha, Nebraska, demolished homes and businesses Saturday as it moved for miles through farmland and into subdivisions, then slammed an Iowa town. The tornado damage began Friday afternoon near Lincoln, Nebraska. An industrial building in Lancaster County was hit, causing it to collapse with 70 people inside. Several were trapped, but everyone was evacuated, and the three injuries were not life-threatening, authorities said. A partially torn off roof is seen on a damaged home in Omaha, Neb., on Saturday, April 27, 2024. Dozens of reported tornadoes wreaked havoc Friday in the Midwest. (Chris Machian/Omaha World-Herald via AP) One or possibly two tornadoes then spent around an hour creeping toward Omaha, leaving behind damage consistent with an EF3 twister, with winds of 135 to 165 mph (217 to 265 kph), said Chris Franks, a meteorologist in the National Weather Service’s Omaha office. Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen and Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds spent Saturday touring the damage and arranging for assistance for the damaged communities. Formal damage assessments are still underway, but the states plan to seek federal help. ___ Associated Press journalists Acacia Coronado in Austin, Texas, and Sophia Tareen in Chicago contributed to this report. Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.