Storms on Memorial Day weekend leave at least 18 dead and thousands without power

(The hill) – Severe storms hit parts of the United States over Memorial Day weekend, killing at least 18 people and injuring hundreds.

The storms hit parts of Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas the hardest before moving east.

In Cooke County, Texas, near the Oklahoma border, several deaths were reported after a tornado swept through a rural area near a mobile home park on Saturday. The Associated Press reported this.

Governor Greg Abbott (Republican of Texas) said two children, ages two and five, were among the dead. About 100 people were injured and more than 200 homes and buildings were destroyed. Wind gusts in the Valley View community reached an estimated 217 km/h, according to authorities.

“The hopes and dreams of Texas families and small businesses have literally been destroyed by one storm after another,” Abbott said.

Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R-Arkansas) said Sunday evening that eight people had died as a result of the storms in Arkansas. Two deaths were attributed to the circumstances of the storm, but not directly to the weather, as one person suffered a heart attack and another lost oxygen after a power outage.

Other deaths in Arkansas included a 26-year-old woman found in a destroyed home in Boone County, officials said. One person died in Benton County and two others in Marion County, records show.

In Oklahoma, two people died in Mayes County, officials said.

A Louisville, Kentucky man was killed when a tree fell on him, Louisville Mayor Craig Greenburg confirmed.

Tens of thousands of residents were also without power in the central region of the country, with Kentucky recording the most outages. According to poweroutage.us.

The national weather services predicted that parts of the Midwest would experience thunderstorms, frequent lightning strikes, strong wind gusts, hail, and some tornadoes.

The Associated Press contributed.