At least three people were killed and dozens were hospitalized after a tornado ripped through a town in the Texas Panhandle on Thursday afternoon, nearly leveling some buildings and prompting power outages.
Two of the fatalities happened in the downtown business district of Perryton and another person died in a trailer park in the northeast part of the city, fire chief Paul Dutcher told CNN's Alisyn Camerota.
The storms also sent between 75 and 100 people to the hospital, Ochiltree General Hospital Interim CEO Kelly Judice told CNN on Thursday.
The injured had "head injuries, collapsed lungs, broken legs, major lacerations—a little bit of everything," Judice said.
The aftermath left behind damaged homes and businesses, including the local fire department and EMS as well as multiple mobile homes, according to Dutcher.
"Many of our trucks are pretty badly damaged," the fire chief said.
Additionally, the city's power facilities have been shutoff for safety purposes, according to Xcel Energy.
"Transmission lines supplying the city with electricity have sustained damage and many lower voltage distribution lines are down in the city," said Wes Reeves, a spokesperson for Xcel Energy.
"Xcel Energy personnel are working to ensure the safety of Perryton residents and first responders. An estimated time of restoration is not yet available," he added.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has deployed state emergency resources to "meet urgent life-safety needs in Perryton, Texas," according to a news release from his office.
"We remain ready to quickly provide any additional resources needed over the course of this severe weather event," the governor noted in the statement.
Resources from surrounding areas have poured into the city to provide much-needed assistance.
Officials in Beaver County, Oklahoma, sent fire, law enforcement and EMS units to help, according to the county's emergency manager Keith Shadden.
Neighboring city officials in Stinnett, Texas, also began sending officers and EMS crews. The sheriff's office in Hutchinson County — which includes Stinnett — also sent rescue and emergency operations following the "devastating tornado," according to a Facebook post from the office.
