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Deadly tornadoes 'caught us asleep'

NEED TO KNOW
  • Several suspected twisters rip through parts of Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa
  • 5 dead in Oklahoma, several others injured
  • Country music star Miranda Lambert's concert in Wichita interrupted by apparent tornado
Deadly tornadoes 'caught us asleep'
Tornado1

Woodward, Oklahoma

Marciano Tornado

CNN Meteorologist Rob Marciano in Oklahoma

tornado cars

Trucks are overturned on Interstate 29 in Thurman, Iowa

Five people are dead and several others injured in Oklahoma after a strong storm system ripped through parts of the Midwest.

There were 122 reports of potential tornado touchdowns in Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa between Saturday and early Sunday, the National Weather Service reported. Residents from Texas to Wisconsin were warned Sunday that potential storms could develop.

View: Storm Tracker

In the Oklahoma town of Woodward, five people -- including two children -- died from tornado-related injuries, according to Amy Elliott of the state Medical Examiner's Office. The town's mayor, Roscoe Hill, said 37 people were injured after the storm rolled through after midnight.

"This thing comes in the middle of the night. It caught us asleep, mostly," Hill told HLN.

Watch: Victim: Looks like a war scene

In nearby Kansas, tornadoes are being blamed for extensive damage throughout much of the state -- though no deaths were reported, officials said.

Country music star Miranda Lambert's concert Saturday night in Wichita was interrupted by an apparent tornado. She was taken off the stage and her fans were kept inside, according to the Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office.

Lambert tweeted, "We made it y'all. Thanks for coming out and for making it through the delay with a smile."

Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback said Sunday that "97 tornadoes touched down" -- though the National Weather Service has not confirmed the exact number yet.

Brownback, who declared a state of disaster emergency, said in a statement that early warnings for the storms "may have saved many lives. ... These types of storm systems show the importance of heeding warnings, having an emergency plan and kit and knowing where to go in a tornado.”

“Our thoughts and prayers are with all of those impacted by the numerous storms that passed through our state – and for our neighbors in Oklahoma who lost loved ones," he added.

In Iowa, a confirmed tornado hit a hospital in Creston, according to an official with the Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management. No major injuries were reported, and the patients were sent to other hospitals.

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