Thousands lose power as storms stomp through state

LITTLE ROCK — Several people suffered broken bones when storms ripped through Drew County early Wednesday and thousands of Arkansans were left without power as thunderstorms crossed the south and central part of the state.

No fatalities or serious injuries were reported Wednesday afternoon. In Monticello, Police Chief Robert Rosegrant said several people suffered broken bones in the storm. Trees fell on trailers and frame homes, and most damage was in the eastern side of the city and out into Drew County, he said.

More than 8,100 Entergy Arkansas customers were without electricity Wednesday afternoon. About a quarter of the power failures were in Drew County, with another 1,800 people without power in Garland County. Several other areas had scattered power failures.

Renee Preslar, a spokesman with the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management, said several counties experienced flooding, power failures and wind damage from the severe storms. Preslar said ADEM sent 150 tarps to Arkansas County to cover up exposed homes and structures. Preslar said that was the only request the emergency agency had received for assistance, as of Wednesday afternoon.

A handful of school districts, including those in Drew County and the Stuttgart and Sheridan districts, canceled classes Wednesday because of the weather, Preslar said.

In Stuttgart, 35 to 40 homes were damaged because of falling trees. In Lincoln County, a nursing home was damaged, Preslar said, while shelters have been set up in Clark and Saline counties for people whose homes were threatened by high water or damaged.

The National Weather Service issued a flood warning for Hot Spring County, where some low-lying areas could be affected by the rising Ouachita River. Statewide, the only area Wednesday afternoon with moderate flooding was the Cache River at Patterson, where the river stage was a little higher than 11 feet. Major flooding would happen at 12 feet, but the river is expected to drop this week.

Forecasters said 2.28 inches of rain fell during a 24-hour period in Little Rock, while Fayetteville and Fort Smith each reported more than 2 inches.

Locally, more than 5 inches of rain fell in a band from south of Mena in Polk County to Bismarck in Hot Spring County to Sparkman in Dallas County, the National Weather Service said.

Golf-ball sized hail was spotted in Sheridan, while quarter-sized hail was reported in Clark, Conway, Hot Spring and Yell counties, forecasters said.

Buildings at the Drew County Fairgrounds sustained heavy damage. Rosegrant said it was still undetermined whether the damage was caused by a tornado or straight-line winds. The National Weather Service had issued tornado warnings for parts of south Arkansas overnight.

Wally Hunt, coordinator of the Jefferson County Office of Emergency Management, said traffic on U.S. 104 was blocked in both directions Wednesday morning after a tree fell across the highway.

"Fortunately we haven't had a lot of wind to compound the problem, but the ground has been so saturated that the roots of some trees just didn't have anything to hold on to and gave way," Hunt said.

In Pulaski County, Arkansas 5 near Otter Creek parkway has been closed, according an ArkansasOnline videographer at the scene.

Several roads were barricaded in Pulaski County on Wednesday morning.

Barricades

Intersection of Batesville Pike & Frenchman Mtn. - 2 barricades

Intersection of Fortson & Batesville Pike- 2 barricades

Intersection of Lawson & Faulkner Road- 2 barricades (removed)

Watson Road (Bridge) - 2 barricades

Kelly Road- 2 barricades

Patsy Road- 1 barricade

Kellogg Acres Road- 2 barricades

Cleland Road- 2 barricades

Petty Road- 1 barricade

Ruth Lane- 2 barricades

Intersection of Ironton & Dixon Road-

Tree Debris

Crystal Valley Road

Ferndale & Story (tree is cut up but needs to be picked up)

Russenberger Road (trees across road, in power lines, Fire department called Entergy @ 7:07 am-Jeremy)

Traffic on Interstate 30 west of Little Rock slowed during the morning rush because of water on the highway; however, the highway was not closed, according to Arkansas State Police spokesman Bill Sadler.

Lightening and high winds contributed to many of the power failures overnight, Entergy's Joe Thompson said. The company prepared Tuesday night and has begun restoring power in some areas.

Southwestern Electric Power Co., which has customers in western Arkansas, wasn't reporting any power failures on its Web site Wednesday.

MORE INFORMATION

Entergy customers out of power at 2:30 p.m., by county:

ARKANSAS - 1396

ASHLEY - 76

BOONE - 1

BRADLEY - 8

CHICOT - 38

CLARK - 738

CONWAY - 1

DALLAS - 1

DREW - 2044

FAULKNER - 5

GARLAND - 1882

GRANT - 16

HEMPSTEAD - 27

HOT SPRING - 46

JACKSON - 23

JEFFERSON - 64

LINCOLN - 1

LONOKE - 49

MONROE - 10

MONTGOMERY - 8

NEVADA - 91

OUACHITA - 647

PHILLIPS - 524

PIKE - 2

POPE - 11

PRAIRIE - 90

PULASKI - 293

SALINE - 5

ST. FRANCIS - 6

UNION - 27

WHITE - 4

YELL - 3

Read tomorrow's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.

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The Associated Press contributed to this story.