Tornadoes Kill at Least Six People in TX, OK and LA
Source Firehouse.com News
At least six people were killed Wednesday by tornadoes that tore through parts of southern Oklahoma, Texas and Louisiana.
Three people were killed and as many as 30 people injured after a tornado touched down in Onalaska, TX, the Polk County Office of Emergency Management said in an online update. Firefighters and other first responders have been working to find anyone trapped beneath the wreckage caused by the storm, KTRK-TV reports.
Polk County, which is around 90 miles from Houston, was declared a disaster area by Judge Sydney Murphy, CNN reports. Residential and commercial buildings, as well as the public infrastructure, suffered significant damage, according to the disaster declaration.
"The state has already deployed response teams and medical resources to help Texans in need and to provide assistance to these communities," Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement. "Our hearts are with our fellow Texans tonight and the state will continue to do everything it can to support those affected by this severe weather."
In Marshall County, OK, two were killed in the storms that ripped through the area, KOCO-TV reports. A tornado hit near J&I Manufacturing in Madill, and it also caused significant damage to the city's new Holy Cross Catholic Church.
A woman died in storms that struck Woodworth, LA, according to CNN. Louisiana State University's Alexandria campus also sustained damaged.
"All resident students safe," the university stated in an online update. "There is damage to DeWitt Livestock building and a camper flipped over. The Oaks and students are ok, but no power on campus."