OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Severe storms and tornadoes ripped through Oklahoma early Sunday, tossing cars and tearing roofs off buildings and leaving tens of thousands of homes and businesses without power in the middle of the night. Authorities said 11 people had to be hospitalized amid numerous injuries.

Most of the damage occurred in and around the state capital, Oklahoma City, near the state capitol, but there were reports of damage in various parts of the state, and early morning storms triggered tornado warnings that extended as far south as the Arkansas state line. Heavy rains caused flash floods in some areas, and a fire was reported to have broken out in a house caused by lightning.

More than 99,000 homes and businesses in Oklahoma lost power during overnight storms. By noon, that number had fallen below 34,000. No deaths were reported as of noon.

Meanwhile, forecasters warned the state’s residents to be prepared for heavier rains and possible severe weather through Monday.

Firefighters and police officers in the town of Choctaw, east of Oklahoma City, went door-to-door Sunday morning asking for information about injuries.

“A neighborhood in Choctaw was completely destroyed,” the town’s mayor, Chad Allcox, told the Associated Press. He added that the debris hindered search and rescue efforts. “Power lines are down everywhere… most of the roads are closed, difficult to pass. Very large trees are blocking the roads.”

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

“It was a heavy downpour. We were trying to scan the area in case another hurricane was coming,” he said. “So that was in the back of our minds, too.”

Douglas said emergency workers had to rescue two people from an overturned mobile home, including a woman who was injured when an air conditioner fell on her leg.

As the daylight came on, the extent of the damage became clearer. Local television footage showed downed power lines, uprooted homes, overturned vehicles and neighborhood streets filled with debris.

Douglas said that 11 people were transported to hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries. “There were other minor injuries, some were walking wounded and would have been treated on their own,” Douglas said.

Early weather warnings and tornado sirens likely saved lives, Allcox said.

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

Southern Oklahoma Heart Hospital was also damaged, state health officials said.

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

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

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