The city of Van has been hit by what locals are describing as a tornado, as wild weather continued to rip through Texas on Sunday. The storms were part of a sprawling storm system that spawned tornadoes in other states and even heavy snow in Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota and Nebraska.
The conditions follow a week of violent storms in the south-central region of the U.S., from Texas to Oklahoma to Kansas, with multiple deaths confirmed amid the devastation.
In Van, dozens of people have reportedly been injured and houses ripped to shreds as the storm front swept through around 9 p.m. CDT, Sunday evening. Residents are being rescued from cars and homes, and areas of town have evacuated due to a gas leak, according to journalists on the ground.
In the early hours of Monday, reports emerged a second tornado was heading for the area. The Sheriff's Office told location news station, News 8, the town was facing a "serious situation."
The small city of Van is about 70 miles southeast of Dallas.
MORE: Reporter in Van, Texas w/ CBS-TV affiliate KYTX says "not a single standing tree" at his location. Several houses "completely gone."— David Goodman (@davidgoodmanCBS) May 11, 2015
MORE: Reporter in Van, Texas w/ CBS-TV affiliate KYTX says "not a single standing tree" at his location. Several houses "completely gone."— David Goodman (@davidgoodmanCBS) May 11, 2015
AMBUS just rolled on the scene here at First Baptist Church in Van where a triage center had been set up @KLTV7 pic.twitter.com/RMz5QDFZeh— Cody Lillich (@CodyLillich) May 11, 2015
6-7 ambulances just left First Baptist in Van. Injuries varying from broken bones to head injuries, reports @CodyLillich.— Lane Luckie (@LaneLuckie) May 11, 2015
There are flash flooding warnings current in Van Zandt county in north central Texas, Henderson County in central Texas and Southern Kaufman County in north central Texas until Monday, 3 a.m. CDT. Residents are being urged to move to higher ground.
Earlier on Sunday, officials said two groups of people in North Texas had to be rescued by helicopters after rising floodwaters left them stranded.
Denton County Deputy Fire Marshal Marc Dodd says a Texas National Guard helicopter airlifted four adults and one infant on Sunday from the roof of their home near the city of Krum. Dodd says another helicopter rescued two adults near the city of Sanger from the roof of their pickup truck, which video showed was surrounded by rushing water.
National Weather Service meteorologist Matt Staley says some locations in North Texas have gotten from six to seven inches of rain over the past four days. Officials will be performing damage assessments in the area Monday.
On Saturday, there were reports of more than 40 tornados in five states -- eastern Colorado, southwest Nebraska, northwest Kansas, central Oklahoma and north Texas, according to the Weather Channel.