Tornadoes in Oklahoma hurt 12; region to see more storms Thursday

OKLAHOMA CITY (Reuters) - About a dozen people were injured by a series of tornadoes that touched down southwest of Oklahoma City, part of a storm system that flattened structures and caused severe flooding in several Great Plain states, officials said on Thursday.

No deaths were reported during the severe weather that battered a region from Texas to Nebraska and spawned dozens of reported tornadoes. High waters and winds led to a temporary escape of bears from a wildlife park in the Oklahoma City region.

Six people from a mobile home park damaged by a tornado southwest of Oklahoma City were taken to Integris Medical Center for treatment, including an 80-year-old woman in critical condition with hip injuries, said hospital spokeswoman Brooke Cayot.

Storms are expected in large parts of the same region on Thursday, raising the specter of a fresh series of tornadoes, forecasters said.

Thousands of homes and business in Oklahoma were without power on Thursday morning, the Oklahoma Corporation Commission said.

(Writing by Jon Herskovitz; Additional reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee and Eric M. Johnson in Seattle; Editing by Bernadette Baum)