More tornadoes plowed through the central U.S. on Monday and thousands were without power as people from Texas to Kentucky continued to clean up from days of severe weather that killed more than two dozen people and destroyed thousands of homes and buildings.
At least four tornadoes were confirmed in Oklahoma and Nebraska on Monday evening, according to a preliminary report from the National Weather Service.
In McAlester, in southeast Oklahoma, officials reported downed power lines and debris, with multiple roads blocked. About 28 miles (45 kilometers) east, in Wilburton, the city’s Facebook page reported a tornado on the ground and heading its way. “Take cover now!” the post warned residents.
Nearly 130,000 customers were without power in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri and Kansas, according to PowerOutage.us.
In northwest Arkansas, severe weather caused a Halsey concert to be canceled. And in Oklahoma, Tulsa Public Schools canceled all afterschool activities.
In northern Texas, softball-sized hail measuring 4 1/2 inches in diameter was confirmed, according to Scott Kleebauer, a meteorologist with the service’s Weather Prediction Center.
Earlier Monday in St. Louis, where officials estimated a Friday tornado damaged 5,000 buildings and may cost well over $1 billion, the mayor warned that federal assistance could take weeks.
Kentucky has been hardest hit by the storms. A devastating tornado late Friday into early Saturday damaged hundreds of homes, tossed vehicles, left many homeless, and killed at least 19 people, most of them in southeastern Laurel County.
In London, Kentucky, where the devastation was centered, the small airport became a beehive of cleanup work after it took a direct hit from a tornado. Small aircraft stored there had large dents in them and even wings ripped open. Officials were using it as a base to get water, food, diapers and other supplies out to the community.
“We have 1,001 things going on. But we’re managing it. And we’re going to get it all cleaned up,” said London Mayor Randall Weddle.
Officials in Kansas and Texas also were evaluating damage from late Sunday storms.
The risk of severe storms moves into Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee on Tuesday, the weather service said.
