Tornadoes swept through San Juan County in southeastern Utah on Saturday afternoon, destroying multiple homes and triggering an official Tornado Warning.
Videos shared with Scripps News Salt Lake City showed what appeared to be a large tornado south of Blanding in the Cahone Mesa area
WATCH: Video via Justin Hopkins shows funnel cloud slowly descending from the sky
Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren said there were around 15 to 20 homes in the area, then later gave an update that three were destroyed. However, he said no injuries have been reported.
The 27,000-square-mile reservation stretches into Arizona, New Mexico and Utah and is the largest of any Native American tribe.
An unknown number of livestock and pets were reported missing, the Navajo Police Department said in a social media post.
Nygren said the American Red Cross is helping anyone who needs emergency shelter, and there are 25 to 30 cots available at the Montezuma Creek Elementary School. He added that the local Chapter House is helping displaced residents to find hotel accommodations.
The San Juan County Sheriff's Office said the twister also wiped out three trailers and a hay barn. Multiple power poles were also brought down, and utility workers are working to get power restored to the affected areas.
According to the National Weather Service, the tornado was spotted around 1:12 p.m., approximately 22 miles southeast of Blanding and was reportedly moving northeast at 10 miles per hour.
The paths of the tornadoes that touched down near Montezuma Creek likely covered less than 10 miles, but the weather service hadn't yet determined their exact tracks or wind speeds, Sanders said by telephone. A survey may be conducted on Monday, he said Sunday.
Tornadoes are pretty unusual in that part of Utah, Sanders said, noting that the weather service had only confirmed two there since 1950.
