One person has died in a tornado in Oklahoma as severe storms ripped through the central and southern states

At least one person has died in Oklahoma as a result of a tornado that ripped through small towns as severe storms moved from the south into central areas, devastating and affecting millions of people.

Osage County Sheriff Eddie Virden told NBC News that the unidentified person died Monday evening as a result of a tornado in Barnsdall, a town of about 1,000 people about 40 miles north of Tulsa, amid some of the storm’s worst devastation .

Virden said it was too early to say how many more were injured, but said his deputies conducted several rescue operations. “There are areas and homes that have been completely destroyed. We rescued several people who were trapped in rubble,” he said.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol said on X that it had created a meeting place in the city for those looking for loved ones.

Bartlesville, 20 miles northeast, was also affected. A hotel in the city was badly damaged, according to social media posts uploaded by witnesses – firefighters were called to rescue some people trapped inside.

Bartlesville City Council said there was significant damage throughout Bartlesville, with some power lines down, but only minor injuries were reported so far. Residents were urged to stay indoors and stay off the streets.

The National Weather Service issued a rare tornado emergency declaration for Osage on Monday. “A large, extremely dangerous and potentially deadly tornado is on the ground,” it said. The tornado watch has been extended until 5 a.m. Tuesday.

Osage Nation Emergency Management and local police said on Facebook that they had “joined numerous search and rescue agencies across the Osage Nation reservation.”

“Our community is strong and ready to help those in need,” it said.

As of 5 a.m. local time Tuesday, more than 25,000 energy customers were without power across Oklahoma, while 18,000 were without power in Missouri and nearly 10,000 in Arkansas, according to the website PowerOutage.us.

The National Weather Service said the severe weather that has hit parts of the country for more than five weeks will continue through at least Wednesday as a low pressure system develops over the Great Lakes.

A tornado also struck Smithville, Tennessee, destroying trees and damaging homes, as seen in footage uploaded to social media.

Three people have died in Texas as a result of storms and flooding, Governor Greg Abbott said on Monday.