At a 9 a.m. press conference Sunday, Newton County officials confirmed 12 are now deceased in Newton County in the wake of Saturday evening's tornado that swept through the county.

Officials are not releasing the names or ages of the deceased until they are for certain their families have been contacted.

Keith Stammer, serving as the public information officer for the Newton County Emergency Management team, said the tornado touched down at approximately 6 p.m. Saturday, starting at the Oklahoma-Missouri state line at Highway 43 and Iris Road.

The tornado continued east along Iris Road, causing massive damage along Iris Road, and in the areas of the city of Racine, Ibex Road, Hammer Road, and multiple other roads and intersections. The tornado continued east and caused damaged in southern Granby and massive destruction in the small community of Newtonia.

"We have several houses that have been either damaged or destroyed," Stammer said. "We have some businesses that have been damaged or destroyed, and we have several vehicles that were caught on Highway 43 that contributed to the fatality toll."

There is also a confirmed death in Jasper County as a result of this storm, Stammer said.

He reported that 19 injured persons — with varying degrees of minor to extremely major injuries — were transported by ambulance to local hospitals.

"I am sure others were self-transported to the hospitals as well," Stammer said.

Stammer said the five priorities for the Newton County Emergency Management teams are: 1) to finish the search and rescue efforts; 2) security; 3) clearing of debris; 4) two shelters have been set up at Calvary Church of Neosho and the other at the FIrst Baptist Church in Diamond; and 5) supplies for those without anything left.

Stammer said a search and rescue effort was conducted last night, and started back up at 6:30 a.m. Sunday.

Newton County Sheriff Ken Copeland there were too many homes to number that were damaged or destroyed by the storm.

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to all the victims' families," Copeland said. "I want to ensure everyone in Newton County that everything that can possibily be done is being done. We have assistance from numerous city, county, state and federal agencies. We have a lot of equipment and a lot of men to ensure that everything is getting done.

"Newton County will get through this. We have gone through a lot of tragic things in the past couple of years, and we will get through this."

Copeland said National Weather Service officials were on the ground at the scene of the storm as of 7 a.m. Sunday. There is no answer as to what size tornado hit the county.

Members of the National Guard are also in the county to help with security and the aftermath of the storm.

Gary Roark, director of the Newton County Emergency Management team, urged sightseers to stay out of the tornado zone in order to let law enforcement and cleanup crews do their work.

 Roark said the tornado's path is approximately 12 miles long.

"The damage was limited to the north of Neosho," Roark said. "It then went to the southside of Granby and moved on to Newtonia, and it took a pretty hard hit. I don't think we had too many serious injuries from Neosho to the east."

Roark said officials with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are also in the county.

"Everyone responded very quickly," Roark said.

Officials with the Missouri Highway Patrol said 20 troopers are currently on patrol in the county working security to thwart looters at the damage sites.

Roark said tornado sirens did sound in the county.

Copeland said he knew personally some of the deceased, but that his efforts were focused on doing his job to help the people the county recover from this tragedy.

"I was shocked as well as everyone else was," Copeland said of his reaction to the destruction left in the tornado's wake.