Over 15K in Texas without power after storms rip through South

More than 15,000 people in Texas were out of power Wednesday morning after heavy rain, hail and several tornadoes pounded the state. 

The severe thunderstorms and tornadoes hit parts of Texas and Oklahoma on Monday, causing widespread damage, before moving eastward and tearing through New Orleans and its suburbs Tuesday night. 

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Homes and businesses in at least a dozen Texas counties were damaged following the vicious weather, according to Storm Prediction Center reports.  

As of 8 a.m. ET on Wednesday, roughly 15,826 customers in Texas were still out of power, according to poweroutage.us, which tracks utility outage reports.

Several tornadoes were reported along the Interstate 35 corridor. In Elgin, broken trees lined the rural roads and pieces of metal, uprooted by strong winds, hung from the branches. 

Oncor Electric Delivery Company tweeted Tuesday that there were more than a dozen reports of damaged structures in its service area. However, the company said that its crews are working "nonstop across impacted communities." 

Meanwhile, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced a disaster declaration for 16 hard-hit counties that is slated to "help jumpstart rebuilding efforts." 

He also said that 10 people were injured by storms in the Crockett area, while more than a dozen were reportedly hurt elsewhere. 

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"We are devastated by the tornadoes that have hit our Texas communities, but remain confident and steadfast in our ability to rebuild together," Abbott said in a statement. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.