Updated at 7:06 a.m. April 15, Sunday ET: At least five people have been killed in Oklahoma and a disaster emergency has been declared in Kansas after a severe storm system moving through the Midwest spawned a number of strong tornadoes.
Oklahoma Dept. of Emergency Management information officer Keli Cain confirmed there were five deaths in the Woodward area of north-west Oklahoma.
At least 29 people were injured across Oklahoma and neighbouring states.
Two of the dead are children, according to NBC News affiliate in Oklahoma, KFOR.
In Kansas, governor Sam Brownback issued a declaration of disaster emergency to help speed relief to areas affected by the storms. "We are continuing to assess all the damages across the state," said Brownback, "and signing this declaration clears the way for making state aid available to those counties that need help with clean-up and recovery."
Dozens of tornadoes were reported Saturday as baseball-size hail shattered windows and tore the siding off homes in northeast Nebraska and one twister damaged a hospital in Creston, Iowa. Several homes were wrecked in Kansas.
NBC News reported there were 112 recorded tornadoes in Kansas, Nebraska, Indiana and Oklahoma.
Forecasters had warned of "life-threatening" storms in the nation's midsection. No serious injuries from Saturday were immediately reported.
A tornado was reported on the ground near Wichita, Kan., late Saturday and power in the city was going out, NBC station KSN reported. Homes were reported damaged on the city's south side, but details were not immediately available.
Historic warning
Director Russ Schneider said it was just the second time in U.S. history that the center issued a high-risk warning more than 24 hours in advance. The first was in April 2006, when nearly 100 tornadoes tore across the southeastern U.S., killing a dozen people and damaging more than 1,000 homes in Tennessee.
It's possible to issue earlier warnings because improvements in storm modeling and technology are letting forecasters predict storms earlier warnings because improvements in storm modeling and technology are letting forecasters predict storms earlier and with greater confidence, said Chris Vaccaro, a spokesman for the National Weather Service. In the past, people often have had only minutes of warning when a siren went off.
The strongly worded message came after the National Weather Service announced last month that it would start using terms like "mass devastation," "unsurvivable" and "catastrophic" in warnings in an effort to get more people to take heed.
The Boeing Company, in Wichita, Kan., suffers damage, April 15. The damage was caused by one of several tornadoes that hit the state on Saturday.
People stand by the remains of a business after a tornado struck Woodward, Okla., Sunday, April 15. More than 100 tornadoes had been reported across the region by daybreak, according to the National Weather Service.
Store owners clean up their store after a tornado moved through the area over night in Wichita, Kan., April 15.
Sandy Umphreys describes her experience after she survived a tornado, to her 10-year-old relative Bryan Pope in Thurman, Iowa, April 15.
Baseball-sized hail, 40 tornadoes reported as dangerous storms slam Midwest!
Barbara Cline and her dog Daisy sit on the steps of her home in the Meadow Lake Beach neighborhood near 55th and Clifton, Sunday, April 15, in Wichita, Kan.
An aerial view of the destruction of the Oaklawn neighborhood in Wichita, Kan., on April 15.
Ottaway Amusement employee Chris Letterman walks around the Century Wheel in a parking lot near the corner of Kellogg and Greenwich in Wichita, Kan., April 15. The Ferris wheel and another ride toppled over on Saturday night during the tornado outbreak. "You're looking at 2 million dollar, squished," Letterman said.
Two people survey damage following a tornado as residents begin the cleanup process on April 15, in Creston, Iowa. Parts of the northern edge of Creston were affected by strong winds and tornados including damage to the Greater Regional Medical Center.
Galen Zumbach (red jacket) of Creston, Iowa begins the cleanup process with the help of neighbors and friends after his house was hit by a tornado in Creston, Iowa.
Iowa army national guardsman help the cleanup in Thurman, Iowa, April 15.
Carole Beckett sorts through belongings at her home after a tornado moved through Woodward, Okla., April 15.
4/14/2012 Waynoka, OK Tornadoes doing damage to buildings
A man listens for the sound of trapped people in the Pinaire mobile home park in Wichita, Kan., on Saturday, April 14, after a tornado caused massive destruction in the area.
Police search what used to be a trailer in a trailer park in Wichita, Kan., April 14.
A former trailer in a trailer park are seen in Wichita, Kan., April 14.
Tornado damage in Kansas April 2012
Two funnel clouds are seen over Moundridge, Kan.
A truck drives along I-70 as a tornado moves on the ground north of Soloman, Kan., April 14.
Amazing Kennedale, Texas tornado video!
Blaine Hyatt walks around his yard on April 14 about a mile east of Rush Center, Kan., after a tornado damaged his home, destroyed several outbuildings and two grain bins.
A funnel cloud dips down from the clouds on April 14, just southwest of Otis, Kan., as severe thunderstorms roll across Kansas. The funnel touched down briefly before the storm weakened. Supercell thunderstorms spawned numerous tornadoes in Kansas on Saturday.
Damage from an apparent tornado is seen April 14, in Thurman, Iowa.
A semi truck and its trailer is overturned on Interstate 29 April 14, in Thurman, Iowa.
People begin to pick up the pieces after the town was hit by an apparent tornado April 14, in Thurman, Iowa.
120 Tornadoes Hit Oklahoma, Kansas, Iowa , Nebraska
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