6 dead, dozens injured after apparent tornadoes ravage Texas and Arkansas, officials say

At least six people were killed and dozens were injured as apparent tornadoes ravaged communities north of Dallas, Texas, and northwest Arkansas Saturday evening and Sunday morning, police said of the order.

Children were among the dead in Cooke County, Texas, Sheriff Ray Sappington told Dallas-Fort Worth ABC affiliate WFAA. At least two children were also missing, he added.

The storm ravaged a roadside travel center near Valley View, Texas, before continuing through a manufactured home community, the sheriff said.

Sappington had earlier said there had been at least two deaths, but said: “That number is going to rise.”

More than 60 people were injured, he said.

Sappington said he feared more bad news was coming at sunrise Sunday, as search and rescue teams continued to search for survivors and authorities got a better look at the damage left behind.

“I'm just thinking about daylight and what we're actually going to find,” Sappington said. “And I don’t think it’s going to be good.”

Most of those deaths occurred at neighboring FRF Estates in Valley View, a manufactured home community located about 60 miles northwest of Dallas, according to Sappington. He said emergency response teams were scouring the development for survivors on Sunday morning amid “major damage”.

He said another hard-hit area was the Gateway AP Travel Center in Valley View, where many people left the road to seek shelter in the parking lot or truck stop restrooms. Sappington said 60 to 80 people were injured at the facility.

“The storm caused significant damage to many homes and businesses, including the Gateway AP Travel Center, which sustained significant damage,” the Cooke County Sheriff's Office said in a statement Sunday morning. “Emergency services are actively searching the rubble for missing people, and many injuries to varying degrees have been reported.”

More information will be released as it becomes available. Residents are encouraged to monitor local news and official channels for updates.

“It would really help if people would stay away now and give us a few hours to complete our search and rescue,” Sappington said. “I know some people were out of the area and trying to get back, but it's dangerous out there. Power lines are down. Gas leaks have been reported. It's just dangerous right now. Give- we just have a little time to do what we need to do.” We are always trying to save people. The best thing people can do right now is give us some time.

Meanwhile, a landslide closed both directions of Highway 340 in Bella Vista, Texas, according to the Bella Vista Police Department. The highway was closed after soil beneath the roadway was washed away by heavy rain and “compromised the road surface,” police said.

1 killed in Arkansas, officials say

Arkansas officials said at least one person was killed when a possible tornado struck Benton County in the state's northwest early Sunday morning.

Besides the person killed, several people were injured in Benton County, Benton County Judge Barry Moehring said at a news conference.

At least one possible tornado tore through the town of Decatur in Benton County and two others appeared to touch down near Beaver Lake, Moehring said.

Many trees and power lines were toppled in the storm and powerful straight-line winds also caused significant damage in Bentonville, where part of the courthouse was destroyed, Moehring said.

He said emergency crews were responding to reports of people trapped in the rubble.

Police in Rogers, Arkansas, also in Benton County, posted photos on Facebook Sunday showing widespread damage in downtown Rogers. The Rogers Police Department said emergency crews were searching for survivors and assessing the damage.

“All of our main streets have trees or are closed, and we continue to respond and try to respond to calls. Too many cars on the streets hinder our response,” the Rogers Police Department said in a Facebook post asking people not to go around the barricades. .

The threat for more severe weather Sunday has moved east over parts of the Mississippi and Ohio Valleys, where multiple rounds of strong storms are possible.

Severe storms are expected to hit a large swath of the Great Plains Sunday evening and move toward Iowa, where residents are still recovering from a series of deadly hurricanes that struck near Des Moines Tuesday evening, leveling half the town of Greenfield and killing four people, officials said.

The most intense storms are expected in parts of Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, northern Tennessee and the southwest edge of Ohio, where there is an increased risk of winds destructive hail and tornadoes, according to forecasts.