Storms rip through county
By LEWIS DELAVAN and LaJUAN MOONEY Voice staff

DEVASTATION AND DESTRUCTION LAJUAN MOONEY PHOTO The view beyond this long-standing cedar tree shows a portion of the devastation and destruction left behind as Mother Nature unleashed her wrath across Central Arkansas.

Repetitive lines of severe thunderstorms wreaked havoc on Saline County homes and businesses last Thursday and Friday.

Three lines of thunderstorms, including, at times, two tornadoes, blew through from around 9:15 p.m. Thursday to 3:30 a.m. Friday, the National Weather Service reported.

Gov. Mike Beebe joined local offi- cials Friday afternoon at an American Red Cross shelter in First Pentecostal Church of Bryant. Beebe also viewed damage at different areas in the county, before declaring Saline County a state disaster area.

He also will request federal disaster assistance for 44 other counties recently declared disaster areas.

"It's heart-wrenching to see the tornadic activity and the damage and the flooding," Beebe said. "And then we get more tornadoes and more flooding - the damage not just to the physical property, not just the loss of lives and not just the injuries that occur; but what it does to the morale, what it does to the emotions of the families, those that have lost their own possessions that are irreplaceable.

BENEATH THE RUBBLE LAJUAN MOONEY PHOTO This truck and boat were buried beneath the rubble at a home on U.S. Highway 70 West.

"You know, some things can be replaced, but then there are memories and there are things handed down by your parents and grandparents that just can't be replaced."

As many as 120 people were housed at the shelter at one time, said Gary Hunnicutt, county emergency services spokesman. About 60 were sheltered at noon Friday.

Narrows Road was closed after the storm because of a damaged culvert. Hunnicutt said several other roads suffered damage.

Among the hardest-hit areas were Everett Buick Pontiac GMC on Interstate 30, Hurricane Lake Mobile Home Park in Benton, Meadowlake subdivision in Bryant, Hurricane Meadows in Benton and rural Saline County between Fairplay and Lonsdale, but numerous other areas suffered some damage. Culverts were washed out in the East End community.

ONLY ONE WAY TO GO LAJUAN MOONEY PHOTO The one-way arrow on this twisted and mangled street sign for Waterfall Way seems to indicate that storm victims have only one way to go, and that is up.

At the Everett dealership, signs on the Interstate 30 westbound service road were smashed, as well as dozens of windshields.

Insurance adjusters were busy Friday assessing damage. Everett salesmen were accepting orders that day, and the dealership returned to regular business Saturday.

Dee Everett, pre-owned sales manager, estimated that more than 90 percent of the used vehicles suffered damage. Much of the damage occurred when a tall light pole fell and swung across vehicles.

A substantial number of new vehicles also were damaged, Everett said, perhaps half of the 350 new vehicles on the lot.

"Nobody got hurt, and that was the main thing," he said.

At least one shopping cart reportedly was blown into a parked vehicle at the Alcoa Exchange shopping center at I-30 Exit 121.

Dozens of Hurricane Lake mobile homes were damaged or destroyed.

A new house "in the dry" on Point View Road was destroyed, with lumber strewn along the storm's path. The owners, Eric and Melissa Goins, have builders insurance.

Entergy Arkansas customers in Saline County were hardest hit in the area of Crossroads, Newcomb and Fairplay roads and Dixie Lane, said Saline County Entergy customer service manager Jim Garland.

Service should have been restored by Saturday night to all customers able to receive power, he said. Some customers must make repairs before power can be delivered.

Entergy had about 45,000 customers without power at one time, but the number had fallen to 14,000 statewide by early Friday afternoon, said Entergy spokesman Dan Daugherty. Power was restored to Saline County customers by late Sunday evening.

He warned people to stay away from downed power lines. "A power line could still be energized even though it is on the ground," he said.

Outages and potentially dangerous situations should be reported to Entergy by calling 1-800-9OUTAGE (1-800-968- 8243).

First Electric Cooperative spokesman Mary Novak said the co-op's hardest-hit areas were at Benton and Gravel Ridge (Pulaski County). The co-op had about 8,000 homes and businesses without power at one time, but the number had fallen to 2,843 at 11 a.m. Friday, including around 1,000 in Saline County, she said. All of those were restored by Friday evening.

City and county officials worked through the night after the storms.

Bryant Mayor Larry Mitchell and Police Chief Tony Coffman toured damaged areas after the storms. Springhill Road was closed at one time. A forested area across from Springhill Elementary School suffered many felled trees.

Thirty-six houses in Hurricane Meadows suffered serious damage, Benton Mayor Holland said.

Mitchell said large trees fell on a number of homes. Mitchell and Holland both expressed relief that serious injuries were avoided.

"As far as we know, there were only two injuries that have been recorded," Hunnicutt said mid-Friday.

Bryant Fire Battalion Chief Brian Watson said flooding was reported on Shobe Road, Arkansas Highway 5, Forest Drive and Meadowlake and Monticello streets.

Firemen used a flat-bottom boat to evacuate Meadowlake residents. Bryant and Benton firefighters worked together at Hurricane Creek Mobile Home Park, he said.

Boone Road was closed from Bryant's new park complex to around Lee Circle. One vehicle stalled on the flooded road and had to be pulled out Friday morning.

Rain on Thursday and Friday exacerbated flooding, said Steve Bays, a National Weather Service hydrologist. The Saline River rose above flood stage Friday at Benton.

High water led the state Highway and Transportation Department to close Interstate 30 around the Saline-Pulaski county line early Friday. As the water receded, the interstate reopened about 9:30 a.m., said David Nilles, department spokesman.

Heavy rain may have played a role in a fatal crash Friday morning on I-30 in Clark County, Arkansas State Police spokesman Bill Sadler said.

Benton Fire Department's new rescue truck was heavily damaged after falling into a washout on McGee Road. Firefighters were responding to a mutual aid call for Salem Fire Department. (See related article.)

Benton Police Department received a report of a tornado near Heritage Farms about 9:20 p.m. Thursday.

The path crossed Everett Buick Pontiac GMC, the mobile home park, Hurricane Lake Estates and Hurricane Meadows.

Fire destroyed two Hurricane Creek mobile homes. Seventy or more had storm damage, and 12 were destroyed by the tornado, police said.

Flooding occurred throughout Benton. Holland said many families were evacuated from Hidden Valley, where flooding has previously occurred.

Vehicles were submerged on Chris Drive and Alcoa Road, Holland said.

Emergency personnel helped evacuate people from homes on Gray Street, Quail Valley and Worth Avenue.

Flooding occurred on Edison Avenue and on Market Street, Alcoa at Chris Drive, Arkansas 5 South and Denise Drive, which is "really flooded," Holland said.

Holland commended city workers for their dedication throughout the night.

"We had people from the street department, electric, water and sewer employees all out here, as well as police and fire and emergency personnel," the mayor said. "It was a concerted effort by city staff. They all came out, worked all through the night to get services back and are right back on the job this morning. They've done a great job."

Marty Polk, assistant road superintendent for Saline County, said several areas are washed out because water has undercut asphalt. Roads are in "ter- rible shape," he said, and urged people to stay out of damaged areas, if they can.

The Arkansas National Guard's 77th Aviation Brigade, from North Little Rock, was activated late Friday to help guard the Hurricane Creek mobile homes and Hurricane Meadows, the state Department of Emergency Management reported. The National Guard provided several dozen cots and blankets for the First Pentecostal shelter.

Holland said David and Cathy Prater, owners of Market Street Events Center, 115 N. Market St., Benton, also made their building available for "people needing to escape the weather."

Other counties declared disaster areas Friday by Beebe were Garland, Pulaski, Arkansas and St. Francis.

Previously declared counties include Baxter, Benton, Boone, Carroll, Clay, Conway, Crawford, Craighead, Cross, Faulkner, Franklin, Fulton, Greene, Hot Spring, Howard, Independence, Izard, Jackson, Johnson, Lawrence, Logan, Madison, Marion, Monroe, Nevada, Newton, Perry, Pope, Prairie, Randolph, Scott, Searcy, Sharp, Stone, Van Buren, Washington, White, Woodruff and Yell.