This image from video provided by KOCO shows damage caused by a tornado in a neighborhood near 89th and S. Sooner Road in North Moore, Oklahoma, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (KOCO via AP)

OKLAHOMA CITY — Severe storms and tornadoes struck Oklahoma early Sunday, tossing cars and ripping roofs off buildings in the middle of the night and leaving tens of thousands of homes and businesses without power. Among the many injured, 11 people had to be hospitalized, authorities said.

Most of the damage occurred in and around the state capital, Oklahoma City, near the center of the state, although damage was reported at various points in the state and early morning storms triggered tornado warnings that extended south to the Arkansas state line. Heavy rain caused flash flooding in some areas and a house fire caused by lightning was reported.

More than 99,000 Oklahoma homes and businesses lost power during the overnight storms. By midday, that number had fallen to less than 34,000. No deaths were reported as of midday.

Richard Thompson, forecast chief for the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center in Oklahoma, said he believed six or more tornadoes hit the state overnight. Meanwhile, forecasters have warned residents across the state to prepare for even heavier rain and possible severe weather through Monday.

“We’re not done yet,” he said.

In the town of Choctaw, east of Oklahoma City, firefighters and police went door to door Sunday morning to inquire about injuries.

“It leveled an entire Choctaw neighborhood,” the city’s mayor, Chad Allcox, told the Associated Press. He added that the debris hampered search and rescue efforts. “Power lines are down everywhere…many roads are blocked, difficult to cross. Very large trees block the roads.

Oklahoma City Fire Department spokesman Scott Douglas told the AP that heavy rain and the lingering threat of tornadoes in the morning darkness complicated early search and rescue efforts, describing an initial sweep hard-hit areas around 1:30 a.m.

“It was a heavy downpour. We were trying to sweep the area with another possibility of a tornado,” he said. “So that was also on our minds.”

Rescuers had to free two people from an overturned mobile home, including a woman who was injured when an air conditioner landed on her leg, Douglas said.

The extent of the damage became clearer as dawn broke. Local television images showed downed power lines, torn walls of houses, overturned vehicles and neighborhood streets littered with debris.

Douglas said 11 people were transported to hospitals with injuries that were not life-threatening. “There were other minor injuries, some walking injuries, who were going to be treated on their own,” Douglas said.

Allcox said early weather warnings and tornado sirens likely saved lives.

A handful of shelters — including one opened at a casino by the American Red Cross — are available for displaced residents or those without power, the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management said.

Oklahoma Heart Hospital South also suffered damage, state health officials said.

At the University of Oklahoma, school officials urged students and staff to take shelter and move to the lowest floor as storms approached campus after midnight. The National Weather Service office in Norman also issued urgent warnings, posting on social media: “If you are in the path of this storm, take shelter immediately! »

Parts of Oklahoma remained at risk for heavier precipitation and thunderstorms later Sunday.

Associated Press journalists Kevin McGill in New Orleans and Jackie Quinn in Washington contributed.