At least 8 people were injured when a tornado ripped through Harveyville, Kan., on Tuesday night, NBC News reported.
Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback issued a disaster declaration for Wabaunsee County.
Officials said that at least one person had been critically injured and "a number of homes were damaged" after the tornado hit Harveyville at around 9 p.m. local time (10 p.m. ET).
NBC station KSHB reported that an apartment complex and a church were among the badly damaged buildings in the town of about 250 people.
Four people were "trapped in a structure for a time" but authorities said that everyone had been accounted for in the area. KSNW reported that one person was flown by air ambulance to a hospital in Topeka.
Tornado damage was also reported in Missouri, NBC station KY3 reported.
Tractor-trailer blown off road
KY3 cited the National Weather Service as having reports of structural damage just north of Lamar in Barton County, probably from a tornado, as well as in southern Dallas County near Long Lane. Damage was also reported in Lebanon, where debris was reported to be falling from the sky at 12:30 a.m. Wednesday (1:30 a.m. ET), and a tractor-trailer was reported to be blown off Interstate 44 nearby.
The damage near Lamar occurred late Tuesday as a line of thunderstorms moved out of Kansas and Oklahoma into southwest Missouri. The storm system was accompanied by hail, along with the high winds, according to KY3.
At 12:08 a.m. (1:08 a.m. ET), the National Weather Service's radar indicated the possibility of a tornado south of Buffalo, Mo. Spotters confirmed a tornado along Missouri 32 moving toward Bennett Spring State Park. The NWS got a report of a home in the Long Lane area being damaged or destroyed. Power also was reported to be out in Buffalo.
ABC station KSPR reported that volunteers were being sought to help rescue people who were believed to be trapped under debris at a trailer park north of Buffalo.
'Severe threat'
A tornado was reported to be on the ground in southern Lebanon at 12:25 a.m. (1:25 a.m ET) and numerous reports came into the NWS and KY3 of damage in the area.
Parts of southwest Missouri and northwest Arkansas remained under a tornado watch until 5 a.m. (6 a.m. ET) Wednesday, KY3 said.
Weather.com said that "scattered severe storms" were expected to sweep from out of the Plains eastward into the mid-Mississippi Valley and portions of the Mid-South Tuesday night into early Wednesday.
"Damaging winds, large hail and isolated tornadoes are all possible," weather.com added. "The severe threat will continue on Wednesday from the Ohio Valley into the South. Damaging winds are the main concern, however there could be some isolated tornadoes."
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NBC News, weather.com and msnbc.com staff contributed to this report.
