One killed, thousands without power after strong storms
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Numerous trees, power lines down; one fatality reported
This article was published today at 5:29 a.m. Updated today at 4:36 p.m.
Thousands of Arkansas residents remained without power Friday morning, a day after strong storms moved through and downed trees and power lines across the state.
One man was killed when a tree fell through a home in Malvern in Hot Spring County, but his baby daughter who was next to him survived, officials said. Another injury was reported in a similar circumstance in Jefferson County, officials said.
The fatality occurred about 8 p.m. when high winds downed a "humongous tree" into a home at Overnman and Moore Streets, Hot Spring Coroner Ernie Cox said. It crashed through the bedroom and killed 26-year-old Jonathan Cooper, who was in bed beside his 1-year-old daughter.
She was taken to the hospital as a precaution but appeared to be alright.
"It's just a miracle she lived," Cox said. "The tree fell on top of him ... and she was right beside him in the same bed. It's just unreal how the baby was not injured. Just amazing because it was a humongous tree. It would probably take two or three people's hands together to get around it."
Jim Bailey, assistant chief of the Malvern Police Department, said crews had to bring a crane to the scene Friday morning just to move the large, fallen tree.
"It's just the hand of god over that child if you just want to know the truth," he said. "This is one you don't see very often."
One person was also injured when a tree fell on a house in Altheimer in Jefferson County, Arkansas Department of Emergency Management spokesman Rick Fahr said. The extent of that injury wasn't clear, he added.
Entergy at 4:30 p.m. reported about 19,973 customers in the dark, down from a peak of more than 60,000 the night before. Jefferson County had the most power failures of any county with about 6,000. Power was expected to be restored to all customers by midnight. Entergy has secured more than 900 additional employees from sister companies to assist with restoring power in Arkansas.
The storms swept through the state Thursday night with winds of 60 to 80 mph, reaching central Arkansas after dark and prompting the National Weather Service to issue several tornado warnings. There was no immediate confirmation any tornado actually touched down, though there were numerous reports of damage.
National Weather Service senior forecaster John Lewis said survey crews would look for signs of tornadoes in one path including Grant, Jefferson and Arkansas counties and another stretching from Bryant to England and Clarendon. There may be signs of multiple, small tornadoes in either path, he added.
"Really that's not uncommon with a line of storms like this," Lewis said. "You get a real strong line of thunderstorms, it's not unusual to have little spin-ups."
John Robinson, warning coordination meteorologist for the weather service, said officials on the survey team determined thunderstorm winds were responsible for damage in Malvern and Collegeville near Bryant. The team was next heading to the Sheridan area, where 16 structures were reported damaged.
A possible tornado was also spotted south of Lake City in Craighead County moving east-northeast.
Arkansas State Police told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Thursday night that troopers responded to vehicle crashes with minor injuries as well as downed trees on several highways.
Among damage reports submitted to the weather service's Storm Prediction Center were:
