Severe weather that resulted in downed power lines that left thousands in north Arkansas without power, including in Rogers where broken traffic signals caused traffic to back up along Walnut Street on May 26, 2024. (Antoinette Grajeda/Arkansas Advocate)
By Antoinette Grajeda, Arkansas Advocate
State and federal officials said partnerships will be key to recovering from severe weather that caused widespread damage Sunday morning and killed eight people in north Arkansas.
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said at a press conference at the Benton County Sheriff’s Office Sunday night that there’s a long road ahead, but officials are committed to helping affected Arkansans get back on their feet.
“In the midst of total devastation, the bright points are all of the people coming together and taking care of one another and looking out for their neighbors and their community and doing whatever it takes to help get people taken care of,” Sanders said.
The National Weather Service found EF-3 tornado damage in Benton County and confirmed one tornado in Boone County. Additional details will be released as surveys of the damage are complete.
Arkansas Division of Emergency Management Director A.J. Gary said a team from the Federal Emergency Management Agency arrived around 3 p.m. Sunday and was working with local officials to conduct a preliminary damage assessment.
According to state officials, Benton and Marion counties each had three confirmed deaths and Baxter and Boone counties each had one. Benton County Judge Barry Moehring, who declared a disaster Sunday, noted that two of his county’s fatalities included deaths related to the storm, such as a local resident with COPD who did not have oxygen when the power went out.
Sanders signed an executive order Sunday to declare an emergency and authorize funds for the severe weather, tornadoes and flooding caused by the storms.
Former Rogers mayor and current Congressman Rep. Steve Womack at Sunday’s press conference asked Arkansans to be patient because recovery will not happen overnight. He also promised to work with federal officials to support his home state.
“Sen. (John) Boozman, myself, Sen. (Tom) Cotton, and other members of the federal delegation are going to engage the federal bureaucracy and whatever we need,” Womack said. “I’m absolutely confident that we will put the right pressure on the right people to make sure that we get a speedy, a very timely response to this particular disaster.”
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Approximately 4,700 North Arkansas Electric Cooperative members remain without power as of 5 p.m. Monday. According to a release from the utility, NAEC now anticipates outage restoration work to continue into the weekend in the harder-hit areas. Personnel are working from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily until service is restored to all members.
Thirty more line personnel from fellow electric cooperatives will arrive by Tuesday. In all, 100 co-op line personnel – both from Arkansas and other states – will be helping NAEC employees and right-of-way contractors with the restoration.
The Mountain Home district has 4,400 members without power. The majority of crews are focusing on Highway 5 South out of Mountain Home, which includes Briarcliff, Salesville and Norfork. Crews also are working in Buford, Buffalo City, Shady Grove and Lakeview with individual servicemen working in Village Green, Mallard Point and Robinson Point.
The Salem district has 510 members without power. The majority of crews are focusing on the Hand Cove area. Approximately 40 poles were broken. We estimate work should be completed in that area by Friday. Crews should finish working in Elizabeth, Salem, and Fairview by Monday night.
The Ash Flat district has 270 members without power. The majority of crews are focusing on the Ozark Acres and Wirth areas. We estimate work should be finished in those areas by Tuesday night. Crews should finish work in Cherokee Village by Monday night.
The Arkansas Advocate is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization dedicated to tough, fair daily reporting and investigative journalism that holds public officials accountable and focuses on the relationship between the lives of Arkansans and public policy.
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