Recovery efforts are underway across the area after severe storms, bringing multiple tornadoes struck northern Arkansas and southern Missouri in the late night hours March 14 and early morning hours of March 15.
According to the Office of Emergency Management, 16 counties in Arkansas including Sharp, Izard, Fulton, Lawrence, Randolph, Baxter, Greene, Independence, Stone, Jackson, Woodruff, Hempstead, Phillips and Hot Springs sustained damage.
As of March 17, the National Weather Service confirmed 23 tornadoes in Arkansas, however; survey crews are still working to determine the extent of the damage.
In Missouri, it was a similar situation with 19 tornadoes being confirmed thus far.
According to Willie Gilmore with the National Weather Service, survey teams are still going to various locations to issue ratings.
“We had a couple teams out on Sunday, we were able to get to Newport and Diaz where there was significant damage and to Izard and Stone County where we were tracking the storms from Leslie and the Fifty-Six area in to Izard County. We’re not finished with that track, it continued up into Missouri. We have a team going to day to hopefully finish that track and the ground survey,” Gilmore said. “There is an F4 section north of the Melbourne and Larking Road area that continued northeast to south of Ash Flat and continued on through. We will be up there today.”
Gilmore said it was still unknown if the storm system that came through causing widespread destruction was comparable to that of the tornado of 2008, however; more would be known and a determination made in the coming days.
“It is difficult to say right now because we’re still getting data. In 2008 that storm started in the Atkins area. This had a little bit of a different track; it may not be as long consistently but we’re still looking at data… It is entirely possibly they may be connected and we will see how things evolve,” Gilmore said referring to a section between the town of Fifty-Six and Larkin Road near Melbourne. “That storm itself, maybe not the tornado because we are still trying to connect it to some areas.”
Some ratings have been issued including an EF3 for Fifty-Six, Cave City and Cushman; an EF4 for Larkin and Diaz and an EF2 for Fitzhugh and Paragould.
CEO of North Arkansas Electric Cooperative Mel Coleman said the damage is extensive and one of the most destructive storms of his career.
“There was a big tornado that went through Baxter County and hit the northwestern tip of Fulton County before moving into Bakersfield. There were some scattered outages, but then monster tornado we watched for so long, the biggest part of what we saw came through southern Izard County, Melbourne, just south of Franklin, though ash flat and went on into Randolph county and on to St. Louis. It was crazy tracks we were seeing on these tornadoes
Power restoration efforts have made strides through the weekend, but there are still some areas without power as more than 200 power poles were snapped in the storms path.
Sharp County Sheriff Shane Russell said another thing slowing progress is people traveling to see the damaged areas.
“There have been comments to me that we would have more people back online were it not for the traffic we’ve had on some of the side roads. That is telling me people are wanting to get out, sight see and wanting to take pictures. I understand the curiosity, but it’s really hindered progress,” Russell said.
Although there has been great focus on the more populated areas that sustained damage, the more rural areas of the counties are in desperate need of help to clear downed trees from properties. Areas such as Larkin, Cushman, Franklin, Sandtown, Calamine, Williford, Martain Creek and others.
Teams or individuals with heavy equipment or chainsaws willing to help clear trees from homes, roads and yards are still needed.
Lauren is a an award-winning journalist who decided after 10 years of newspaper experience to venture out. Hallmark Times was born.
