WOODWARD, Okla. (CBS) -- Residents in the middle of the country are reeling after the massive outbreak of tornadoes from Texas to Minnesota over the weekend.
Officials say early warnings saved lives. But Woodward Oklahoma was not so lucky. A twister there killed 6 people including three children and injured more than two dozen others.
Residents of Woodward, Oklahoma are cleaning up the devastating damage left by a fast moving, destructive tornado. Resident Dean Dwinelle says, "Got down in the cellar, and as soon as we got the door shut, it was just right there. I could hear it coming as we, as we were heading downstairs."
Utility companies are working to restore power in the town where the tornado destroyed dozens of buildings. There was little warning; a lightning strike disabled twenty outdoor sirens.
This is what's left of a row of small businesses here in Woodward. Employees returned this Monday morning to look at the damage and help out with the cleanup since there's nowhere left to work.
Kyle Reynolds lost the dream house he built for his family five years ago. He says, "Where do you go from here? Well I don't know, we spent all yesterday trying to get what we could out of the house and salvage what we could. There was a little bit of furniture we were able to bring out and clothes. The clothes all seem to be full of insulation."
The massive storm system didn't just hit Oklahoma. It produced dozens of tornadoes from Minnesota to Kansas.
Warning sirens sounded in Wichita, sending students from Trinity Academy, who were attending their prom, down into a shelter. Student Harlee McCarty says, "I'm really scared, and tornadoes are my biggest fear of all time."
The students spent two hours underground losing part of their prom night. But others in the city lost much more. One person says, "The base of my trailer and half of my walls is somewhere else."
Despite the damage, the only fatalities from the storm system were in Oklahoma. A National Weather Service official says a month's worth of tornadoes were spotted just in Kansas this weekend.