At least two people were killed Thursday as a swath of severe weather swept from the Plains through the northeast United States, officials said.

A tornado downed trees and damaged buildings in Elmira, N.Y., Accuweather.com reported.

A 66-year-old woman died in Genesee, Pa., when she was struck by a falling tree as she sought shelter at a campsite, CNN said. A 61-year-old man in Brooklyn, N.Y., was killed by falling debris after a church steeple was struck by lightning.

Winds of 60 to 70 mph were reported near Albany, Ohio, Accuweather.com said.

The worst damage appears to have occurred in northern Pennsylvania and southern New York, where hundreds of thousands of people were left without power.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency in Elmira after the tornado struck, making roads nearly impassable. A number of people had to be rescued from their cars, WHAM-TV, Rochester, N.Y., reported

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