Hard-hit areas cleaning up after storms

Light snow hits north part of state; floodwaters recede

Flurries dusted Northwest Arkansas on Monday afternoon, and meteorologists predicted more snow to fall across the northern tier through the night while other areas are cleaning up from tornadoes that preceded the cold front.

Officials identified the St. Francis County woman who died in a tornado Saturday as Charlene Lewis, a nurse who worked at Crittenden Memorial Hospital in West Memphis. Lewis, whose age was not available, was found in a car near her home west of Hughes, said Shane Dallas, the director of the St. Francis County Office of Emergency Services.

The National Weather Service in Memphis confirmed that the EF2 tornado, a 300-yard-wide twister with winds up to 130 mph, cut a 15.6-mile-long path through the county. The tornado hit a small subdivision about 3 miles west of Hughes.

Charlene Lewis’ husband, Ronald Lewis; their adult daughter, Sharonda Lewis; and 3-year-old granddaughter were injured and recovering at a Memphis hospital, Dallas said. Three others were injured in the storm.

Dallas said the tornado picked Ronald Lewis off the ground as he was running tohis car where his wife sought shelter. The winds tossed him into a field about 150 yards away.

The weather service confirmed two other tornadoes in Arkansas.

An EF1 twister with winds up to 110 mph traveled about 1.5 miles near Redfield in Jefferson County on Friday evening.

Another EF1 tornado touched down near Dermott at the Chicot and Desha county lines Saturday before crossing the Mississippi River. The winds flipped two 18-wheeler trucks and damaged the roof at the Yellow Bend Port building in Dermott.

The three tornadoes left Arkansas with a total 34 twisters for 2013.

On Monday, Hughes Mayor Larry Owens inspected the debris left by the twister, which the Office of Emergency Services said destroyed four houses and three mobile homes.

“I was awestruck at the damage,” he said. “I was trying to see what I could salvage. When you lose everything, you need something you can relate to. I was looking for pictures or toys for children.

“There was nothing there,” Owens said. “It was rubble. Folks’ houses are gone.”

The tornado struck high power lines north of Hughes, leaving hundreds without electricity.

Entergy Arkansas Inc. reported about 13,000 customers across the state were without electrical service during the peak of the storm. By Sunday evening, all power had been restored.

Flooding had receded, but creeks and rivers were still swollen Monday. A city park in Marked Tree remained underwater Monday from the flooded St. Francis River. Creeks spilled into neighborhoods in Poinsett County, encroaching on homes, and water crossed county roads throughout the state.

The weather service reported 7.9 inches of rain fell in Carlisle on Friday and Saturday, while 6.45 inches fell in Augusta and 5.6 fell in Little Rock.

“We had significant flooding in the county,” Dallas said of St. Francis County. “We had several cars hydroplane into ditches.”

He said he expects to ask for a state disaster declaration for his county, but he was unsure whether it would be granted because it may not meet the state’s requirement for damage costs compared with the county’s population.

“We’ll see if we can get it,” he said. “Right now, we’ve got the Red Cross assisting us, and we have a grass-roots community that’s helping.”

On Monday afternoon, light snow fell in a band from Rogers to Harrison, said National Weather Service meteorologist Charles Dalton of North Little Rock. Forecasters expected it to continue across the north during the evening.

However, accumulation won’t be as much as was previously expected.

“The support for this system is dissipating,” he said. “Maybe they’ll get a dusting, and it’ll be gone soon.”

Arkansas, Pages 9 on 12/24/2013

Upcoming Events