A violent tornado tore through the Missouri capital overnight on Wednesday, and as morning dawned, the extent of the damage was becoming clear: homes with roofs shorn off, wrecked stores, downed power poles and reports of people trapped in the rubble.

The Missouri Department of Public Safety said the damage in part of Jefferson City, the capital, was “extensive.” As shelters opened for residents, state troopers and local emergency officials went door-to-door searching for survivors.

[Read about how it has been a relentless storm season in the Midwest.]

At least three people were killed in another tornado in Golden City, Mo., two hours outside Kansas City.

“We are very thankful we didn’t have any more fatalities than we did,” Gov. Mike Parson of Missouri said Thursday. “But three is too many.”