Stronger together Counties come together in the wake of disaster

Story by Sarah Perry AAC Communications Coordinator

When two EF-3 tornadoes tore through a portion of the state on March 31, Arkansans came together to help those who were impacted. County judges in the three counties that were hit said they are grateful for everyone who showed up to help their neighbors pick up the pieces.

The first tornado formed in Pulaski County just west of the northwest side of Little Rock at about 1:30 p.m. The tornado, which had a maximum width of 600 yards, had peak winds of about 165 mph and traveled 34.4 miles. It moved through Little Rock and across the Arkansas River before hitting North Little Rock, Sherwood and Jacksonville. After reaching Lonoke County, it continued to cause damage until it dissipated just southeast of Cabot, according to Dennis Cavanaugh, warning coordination meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Little Rock.

Cavanaugh also noted that the tornado was moving very quickly at 50 to 60 mph.

At about 4:30 p.m., a second tornado formed approximately five miles southeast of Fair Oaks. It traveled 73 miles in about 90 minutes until it dissipated in Tipton County, Tennessee.

West Wynne was hit hardest by the storm, said Andy Chiuppi, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service Office in Memphis.

“None of the counties around here are strangers to tornadoes, especially Cross County, but it is unfortunate when

(tornadoes) take direct hits on these cities and communities,” Chiuppi said while explaining that Cross County has experienced several major tornadoes, including one in 1929 that took almost the exact same path as the March 31 tornado.

During a recent visit to the American Red Cross of Arkansas, Gov. Sarah Sanders said about 8,000 homes were impacted by the tornadoes and 800 Red Cross volunteers were working together to help in various ways.

“We still have a long road ahead … We have a number of people that are still going to be in that rebuilding and recovery process for a long time and we’re going to be here with them every step of the way,” Sanders said.

As a result of the tornadoes, Sanders declared a state of emergency, and the counties that were hit are eligible for federal assistance.

Cross County Judge Lynn Blake was recently elected and took office at the beginning of the year. While he is still learning all the duties his job entails, he said he has experience with tornadoes as a former first responder and justice of the peace.

Blake previously worked as a first responder for the city of Wynne and has the advantage of knowing the command system for dealing with situations like this. He also has a good working relationship with city of Wynne officials. Blake also has two decades of experience on the Cross County Quorum Court.

“I had worked through a tornado before … as a Quorum Court member, so I knew the possibility,” he said while noting that for several years the court has been putting money aside in a reserve in case of an incident like a tornado.

“We had money to start work before the federal or state refund started coming back in,” he said.

Having money available and a prepared director for the county’s office of emergency management are extremely important when dealing with a natural disaster, Blake said.

Pulaski County Judge Barry Hyde commended the staff at the Pulaski County Office of Emergency Management for their immediate response to areas that were directly impacted by the tornado and the Department of Roads and Bridges for helping to remove trees and debris from roads.

Only two roads in the unincorporated area of Pulaski County were affected by the storm but there was extensive damage in urban areas. Several residents lost their homes and many businesses have had to repair damages before reopening, Hyde said.

“Several green spaces and parks full of trees are now wide open, treeless areas,” he added.

Blake and Hyde, along with Lonoke County Judge Doug Erwin, said volunteers came in droves to help their fellow Arkansans.

Hyde called the response “immediate and overflowing.”

“In major natural disasters, we can see assistance delayed or under-represented. Fortunately, that was not the case with this disaster. Many churches and volunteers have helped, and are still helping tornado victims. All are doing a tremendous job,” he said.

Erwin echoed similar feelings.

“We’re still fortunate enough that when disaster comes, there are still enough good people in the world that are willing to help,” he said.

In Cross County, Blake said that within hours of the tornado, lots of people were showing up to help from across northeast Arkansas. For the first week, elected officials and staff at the courthouse served hot lunches every day for volunteers.

The judges also expressed their appreciation to other judges who stepped in to help.

“Being a new judge, I had all these judges contacting me,” Blake said.

At the time Blake had had the opportunity to attend only one County Judges of Arkansas Association meeting, but he had already made friends with several judges who were willing to do whatever they could to help.

“It’s almost like you’ve known them your whole life, and I’ve only known them three months,” Blake said. “It was almost like family … you find out real quick that the counties stick together when it comes to something like this.”

He expressed his appreciation for his neighboring judges in Jackson and Crittenden counties. Both judges are more experienced and helped him every step of the way. Crittenden Judge Woody Wheeless even sent his director of emergency management, Bud Spears, to Cross County to assist for weeks.

Erwin has had previous experience with tornadoes, including having his own home hit by a tornado, helping other elected officials who were affected by tornadoes, and assisting his county through a tornado.

After Erwin helped Faulkner County Judge Allen Dodson when a tornado hit Mayflower and Vilonia in 2014, Dodson was able to return the favor this year after Dodson was elected judge again.

“He comes to our rescue,” Erwin said, explaining that Dodson sent several road department employees to Lonoke County.

There were four confirmed deaths as a result of the Cross County tornado and 26 reported injuries, Chiuppi said. One person died in Pulaski County after suffering a heart attack due to fear surrounding the tornado, according to Cavanaugh.

Erwin said Lonoke County was fortunate not to have any reported injuries or deaths.

Both Cavanaugh and Chiuppi said that it is less common for tornadoes to hit the state during the day, and they both feel that the timing of these tornadoes reduced the number of people who were injured and killed.

“When a tornado occurs during the day, it’s easier for people to believe that the tornado is a real threat because there are pictures of it,” Cavanaugh said, adding that he also thinks the communication between the National Weather Service staff and the public helped save lives. “The more people communicate with us, the better our warning system is. We appreciated all the reports during that storm, and we hope that partnership and open line of communication can continue.”

In the event of severe weather, Arkansans can submit storm reports on the National Weather Service website or by calling the Little Rock office 501-834-0308. The NWS is also active and regularly posts updates on Facebook and Twitter.