- Written by Kathryn Armstrong
- bbc news
Dozens of tornadoes have ripped through the central United States, causing severe damage and killing at least five people, including a four-month-old infant.
Another storm that began Friday left tens of thousands of residents without power.
Four of the deaths occurred in Oklahoma, where 12 counties have been declared a state of emergency.
A fifth person in Iowa has died from injuries as another storm hits the Midwest, local media reported.
The National Weather Service (NWS) said a preliminary investigation confirmed that some of Saturday's tornadoes had wind gusts exceeding 136 mph (218 kph).
The storm, which hit from Texas to Missouri, dumped up to 7 inches (18 centimeters) of rain in some places within hours, AFP reported.
The town of Sulfur in eastern Oklahoma was particularly hard hit. Video of the aftermath showed destroyed houses and overturned vehicles.
About 100 injuries were reported, according to the Oklahoma State Department of Health.
The towns of Holdenville and Marietta were also heavily damaged.
Oklahoma House Speaker Charles McCall insisted the affected areas would recover.
“We will get up, we will clean up, we will rebuild and we will move forward,” he told a news conference in Sulphur on Sunday.
Governor Kevin Stitt also visited the town and said the damage was the worst he had seen in his six years in office.
“You wouldn't believe the destruction,” he said.
“It seems like every business downtown has been destroyed.”
The White House announced that US President Joe Biden met with Mr Stitt and offered full support from the federal government.
This comes after another weather system brought more than 70 tornadoes to the Midwest states of Nebraska and Iowa on Friday.
Most of the incidents occurred around the city of Omaha, where one resident described the ordeal.
“When I saw this big tornado coming, I had no choice but to evacuate my children and my wife as quickly as possible,” Brent Richardson told The Associated Press.
“The loudest thing I've ever heard in my life is a freight train passing through my house.''
“Absolute destruction, just chaos. Neighborhoods trying to come together to help people. Some people are trapped in their homes and we're trying to get out, and there are homes that aren't even standing anymore.”
Nebraska's governor declared a state of emergency for three counties on Sunday, making them eligible for additional funding for rescue and recovery efforts.
More severe weather is expected.
“The tornado threat appears to be decreasing, but damaging winds and hail remain, especially across northeast Texas, northern Louisiana, Arkansas and southern Missouri,” said Brandon Buckingham, a meteorologist with commercial forecasting company AccuWeather. is still expected.”