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At least 15 people have died and more than 400,000 homes are without power after tornadoes struck the South and Great Plains over the weekend, NBC News reports.
Tornadoes were reported in Texas, Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri and Tennessee beginning Saturday (May 25) and continuing into Sunday (May 26), with a tornado watch issued through at least 11:00 p.m. CT on Sunday. Seven storm-related deaths were reported in Texas; two in Oklahoma, five in Arkansas and one in Kentucky as of Sunday evening, with ages ranging from 2 to 72, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott confirmed to reporters.
The Texas casualties included two children reported to be between the ages of 2 and 5, according to Abbott. More than 158,600 customers in Kentucky, 98,200 in West Virginia, 88,860 in Missouri, 76,600 in Arkansas, 63,900 in Virginia and 22,000 in Texas, among other states, were reported to be without power Sunday evening, according to PowerOutage.us.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said conditions in the state had calmed, but another waves of storms was expected Sunday evening, with at least five counties having declared states of emergency.
“We have gotten through at least the first part of this event, and we want to make sure we don’t lose anybody else,” Beshear said via NBC News. “So everybody out there stay safe, be very weather-aware as we go into tonight and late tonight.”