The Latest: Governor declares disaster in 16 Texas counties

DALLAS (AP) — The Latest on severe weather that struck portions of the central and southern U.S. (all times local):
2:30 p.m.
Gov. Greg Abbott has issued a disaster declaration for 16 Texas counties following severe overnight storms including a tornado that battered parts of Dallas.
Abbott’s declaration Monday makes state resources available to local officials, plus waives certain regulations to allow utilities to bring in out-of-state resources.
The counties covered are: Cass; Cameron; Collin; Dallas; Ellis; Erath; Hunt; Kaufman; Lamar; Panola; Rains; Rockwall; Rusk; Tarrant; Van Zandt; and Wood.
Tens of thousands of homes and businesses are without power after the swathe of heavy storms hit Dallas before tracking northeast into Arkansas, Oklahoma and Tennessee. Several homes were seriously damaged by the tornado that struck near Dallas Love Field Airport, which was not damaged.
Mayor Eric Johnson says Dallas was very fortunate to have suffered no fatalities or serious injuries.
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1:30 p.m.
Authorities say severe thunderstorms are responsible for the deaths of three people in eastern Oklahoma.
Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Brooke Arbeitman says two teenage boys died of carbon monoxide poisoning late Sunday in Weleetka, about 80 miles (130 kilometers) east of Oklahoma City.
She says the 14- and 15-year-old boys were using a portable gas generator in a travel trailer after the storms knocked out power in the area.
Arbeitman says the father of the younger boy went to check on them early Monday and discovered their bodies.
Emergency management officials say another person died late Sunday night when a tree was blown onto a mobile home near Valliant, about 170 miles (275 kilometers) southeast of Oklahoma City.
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1:10 p.m.
One Dallas family says they sheltered in the bathtub and sang as a tornado tore their neighborhood apart but left their home largely intact.
Dustin and Lauren Collins said Monday that they consider themselves lucky that all they need to do is clear debris from their yard after the twister ripped through the area Sunday night.
Store fronts and roofs were ripped off at a nearby shopping center. Trees fell onto some homes.
Dustin Collins says the couple took shelter in the bathroom with their 8-month-old son after he saw the tornado warning on his phone.
Lauren Collins says they “just sat in the bathtub and sang songs, trying to keep everyone calm.”
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11:15 a.m.
Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson says citizens of Dallas should consider themselves lucky that no one was killed when a tornado touched down at night in a densely populated part of the city.
Johnson said at a news conference Monday morning that officials are still assessing damage. He says the city’s top priority has been making sure everyone is safe.
The National Weather Service says radar confirmed the tornado struck near Love Field Airport around 9 p.m. Sunday.
Homes have been heavily damaged, stop lights are out and large trees are down in the area.
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10:55 a.m.
Hundreds of flights have been canceled or delayed at airports in North Texas and Arkansas after a storm carrying at least one tornado hit.
Dallas Love Field spokesman Chris Perry says the airport wasn’t damaged by the twister that slammed a densely populated area near the travel hub Sunday night.
Flightaware.com reports that 63 flights are delayed and 18 have been canceled at Dallas Love Field on Monday. About 25 were canceled Sunday night.
The flight-tracking website says 78 flights are canceled at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport Monday and more than 200 are delayed.
The Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport, in Bentonville, is reporting it has canceled 17 flights Monday and about a dozen flight are delayed.
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9:10 a.m.
Strong storms that moved through Tennessee knocked down trees and power lines and caused minor damage at Memphis International Airport.
News outlets report Memphis Light, Gas and Water was reporting up to 35,000 customers without power Monday morning as the storms led to tornado warnings in the region.
Broken windows were reported at the airport, where spokesman Glenn Thomas said passengers in the concourses were directed to shelter in restrooms for a time.
Weather alerts for the area have expired and airport officials say operations are back to normal.
No injuries have been reported.
The weather system was the same one that spawned a tornado in Dallas.
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8:45 a.m.
A Home Depot store in north Dallas sustained major damage in severe storms that hit Dallas, but no one was injured.
The store’s manager tells Dallas TV station KDFW that he sent employees home early and shut down the store after seeing the forecast Sunday night. Images from the scene shows parts of the building collapsed with the roof missing.
The Home Depot damaged Sunday night was the site of a shooting in April 2018, when a suspected shoplifter opened fire, killing one police officer and wounding two others.
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7:40 a.m.
One person has been killed in severe storms that swept through Arkansas after a tree fell on a home early Monday.
The Benton County Department of Public Safety says the death happened at about 12:30 a.m. in Rogers, about 150 miles (240 kilometers) northwest of Little Rock. Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson confirmed the fatality and said “significant storm damage” occurred in northwest Arkansas.
The storms, which struck the Dallas area late Sunday, moved through Arkansas in the early morning hours Monday. Several tornado warnings were issued, and damage was also reported in the northeast corner of the state.
Jonesboro TV station KAIT reports that a gas station was destroyed in the town of Tyronza, about 120 miles (190 kilometers) northeast of Little Rock. Poinsett County Sheriff Kevin Molder tells the TV station that at least two people were injured.
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7:10 a.m.
Dallas Stars player Tyler Seguin says his home was heavily damaged by severe storms that swept through Dallas, but no one was hurt.
The hockey player said on Twitter that he had moved to another home and that the property damaged late Sunday was listed for sale. He wrote: “I just left the area and it is an extremely sad sight to see.”
The National Weather Service says at least one tornado struck the north Dallas area on Sunday night, and other possible tornadoes were reported as well.
Heavy damage is reported throughout much of the Dallas area, and tens of thousands of people are without power.
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6:10 a.m.
Damage has been reported in parts of Oklahoma and Arkansas from severe storms that earlier spawned a tornado in the Dallas area.
Tens of thousands of homes and businesses were without power, including the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport in Highfill, about 155 miles (250 kilometers) northwest of Little Rock. The airport says flights were still departing, though security screenings were being done manually.
Tornado warnings were in effect Monday morning in far eastern Arkansas near the Mississippi River as the storm system moved to the east.
The Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma, says that areas of Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee could see severe thunderstorms later Monday.
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5:05 a.m.
Dallas Fire-Rescue says there have been no reports of fatalities or serious injuries in the aftermath of a Sunday night tornado, but three people were hospitalized for evaluation of non-life-threatening injuries.
Spokesman Jason Evans says search teams conducted primary assessments on accessible structures for six hours overnight, but their efforts were “hampered by limited access and lack of proper lighting.” A second set of teams will resume search efforts in daylight.
Evans says the damage within Dallas is limited to an area bordered by Royal Lane to the north and Northwest Highway to the south, as well as Harry Hines Boulevard to the west and Interstate 75 to the east — essentially, northwest Dallas.
He says personnel initially responded to calls including “everything from power lines down, to fallen trees to people being injured inside of their homes by broken glass.” Fire-Rescue’s own Station 41 was left “uninhabitable” when high winds stripped the roof and other parts, but no firefighters were injured.
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3:15 a.m.
An electric utility says storms across Texas have caused significant damage to power lines, leaving more than 150,000 customers without power in East Texas.
Oncor said early Monday that there’s no estimated time of restoration. The utility says the damage to power lines took place east of Interstate 35, an area that includes Dallas.
The National Weather Service confirmed a tornado touched down in Dallas late Sunday night near Love Field Airport. The NWS says a line of strong storms was moving through the Dallas-Fort Worth area early Monday.
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12:45 a.m.
The city of Dallas says it hasn’t received reports of fatalities or serious injuries after a tornado touched down Sunday, but it’s assessing the damage.
According to Oncor, nearly 112,000 customers are affected by power outages. Six Dallas Independent School District campuses have canceled class on Monday, as has The Episcopal School of Dallas.
The city says in a release that there are reports of gas leaks north of Walnut Hill. Approximately 35 traffic signals aren’t communicating.
The city of Dallas is preparing to open a shelter by 2 a.m.
Dallas Fire-Rescue spokesman Jason Evans says in a release that the department is responding to a structural collapse, from which seven people made it out safely. He says the department has responded to multiple calls from people injured in their homes by broken glass.
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11:05 p.m.
The National Weather Service has confirmed that a tornado touched down in Dallas.
Meteorologist Jason Godwin says radar confirmed that the twister touched down Sunday night near Love Field Airport before moving northeast through the city.
Godwin says the size and severity of the tornado won’t be known until crews arrive to survey the damage. More stormy weather is expected in the area overnight.
WFAA reports a convenience store collapsed in the storm, but the clerk tells the station everyone who was inside made it out safely.
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10:40 p.m.
The National Weather Service says a possible tornado has moved through the Dallas area, causing some structural damage and downed power lines.
The weather service says the suspected twister moved through the city’s north side on Sunday night. Local media outlets report several structures have been damaged, trailers flipped and tree limbs scattered across roadways. Oncor’s website indicates more than 75,000 customers are without power.
Dallas police say officers in one part of the city were going door-to-door to check on residents.
The storm happened as multiple severe thunderstorm watches and warnings covered portions of four counties, including Dallas County.
There were no immediate reports of injuries.