Van, Texas: About two dozen people were injured and some homes destroyed after a severe storm struck the small town of Van in northeast Texas, an emergency management official said.

The storm that the National Weather Service said likely produced a tornado hit the east side of Van Zandt County and the city of Van around 8.45pm on Sunday.

Chuck Allen, the Van Zandt County fire marshal and emergency management coordinator, said in an email early on Monday that approximately 26 patients were transported to hospitals after a triage area was established at a church.

The extent of their injuries was not immediately clear. About 30 per cent of the city suffered some kind of damage, he said.

“Damages range from completely destroyed homes, damaged homes, to trees and power lines down,” Allen wrote.

Allen said authorities were going door-to-door in the city about 112km (70 miles) southeast of Dallas, performing a second search for additional injured individuals.

Utility companies are working to restore “vital infrastructures,” and road and bridge crews are working to open streets and highways to allow for first responder access, he said.

The American Red Cross planned to open a shelter at First Baptist Church in Van, Allen said. Calls to the church rang unanswered early on Monday.

The Van Independent School District said on its website schools would be closed on Monday.

The National Weather Service believes at least one tornado hit Van on Sunday night, senior meteorologist Eric Martello said. Weather Service crews will survey the area after daybreak on Monday.

The storm was part of severe weather that stretched across North Texas on Sunday.

Earlier in the day, another likely tornado ripped roofs off buildings and damaged trees near Denton, about 64km northwest of Dallas, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Tom Bradshaw. There were no immediate reports of injuries or fatalities.

The area also experienced torrential rains that led to widespread flash flooding. Authorities in Denton County said on Sunday that two groups of people had to be airlifted by helicopters to safety.

‘Nothing left’

Elsewhere, police say two people died from storms in southwestern Arkansas. KSLA-TV reports the Howard County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed two people were killed on Sunday night in Nashville, which is about 80km north of Texarkana.

Howard County Sheriff Brian McJunkins says the victims lived in adjoining mobile homes. He says two other people were critically injured. The TV station says there were reports of tornado sightings in the area on Sunday as well as reports of heavy damage to homes and power outages.

Tornadoes were also reported in central Iowa, where a roof was ripped off a high school, and in eastern South Dakota, where a twister damaged the small town of Delmont and injured at least nine people.

“Our house is flat. There is nothing left,” said Stephanie Lunder, 34, of Delmont. She was with her husband and four children in the basement when the storm hit.

The town about 144km southwest of Sioux Falls had no water, power or phones, South Dakota Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Kristi Turman said. The 200-plus residents were asked to leave for safety reasons.