The CEO of North Arkansas Electric Cooperative (NAEC) told White River Now Wednesday morning that 100 linemen, many from fellow electric cooperatives across the South, are working to restore power throughout the region after Sunday’s severe storms.
NAEC CEO Mel Coleman (pictured) said after Sunday’s tornado ripped through Baxter, Fulton, and Sharp counties, 15,000 to 20,000 of the cooperative’s members were without power.
As of this morning, Coleman says that number is down to around 2000 members. However, he said some areas are hard to access because of the devastation.
“You look, and you wonder which side of the road the poles and powerlines were on. Trees devastated. Homes devastated. Power lines ripped off and gone,” said Coleman.
The co-op still expects restoration work to continue into the weekend for some areas.
According to NAEC, the Mountain Home district has 1,820 members without power. Damage assessments found more than 173 broken poles in the district. Most crews are working in the Highway 5 South area out of Mountain Home, which includes Briarcliff, Norfork, and Salesville. Crews also are in Buffalo City, Buford, Lakeview, Lone Rock, and Shady Grove. Individual service members are tackling as many minor outages as possible.
The Salem district has 150 members without power. Damage assessments found almost 90 broken poles in the district. Restoration efforts are concentrated in the Hand Cove area, where more than 70 poles were broken. NAEC brought in excavators and track equipment Tuesday to assist in clearing debris from the right-of-way. The co-op estimates work should be completed in the Hand Cove area on Friday.
The Ash Flat district crews completed restoration work Tuesday night. In all, they replaced 20 broken poles. They are now working in the Hand Cove area.
Click here to view NAEC’s outage viewer, and listen to White River Now’s Chad Whiteaker visit with Coleman below:
According to the Arkansas Advocate, at least six tornadoes struck north Arkansas early Sunday morning.
The media outlet reported the National Weather Service’s Little Rock office announced Tuesday that two EF-3 tornadoes with peak winds of 140 miles per hour touched down in Boone, Marion and Baxter counties. One tornado’s path extended 21 miles.
A survey team returned to north Arkansas Tuesday to continue assessing the damage and is aware of at least five other possible tornado tracks that will be examined in the coming days, according to a social media post.
The Advocate said Arkansas Division of Emergency Management officials reported eight deaths on Sunday — three each in Benton and Marion counties and one each in Baxter and Boone counties — but revised that number to seven on Tuesday.
According to a press release, ADEM received confirmation late Monday from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office that a fatality reported on Sunday was not related to the storms as was previously believed.
“We appreciate everyone’s patience as we adjust data as updated information becomes available,” ADEM Director A.J. Gary said in a statement. “We will continue to keep the public apprised of developments as we receive information.”
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed an executive order Sunday to declare an emergency and another on Tuesday to authorize paid leave for state employees affected by the storms. Sanders and other officials surveyed the storm damage on Monday.
Click here for more statewide storm coverage from the Arkansas Advocate.
May 26 storm image from north Arkansas via Arkansas Advocate’s Antoinette Grajeda / Coleman image: NEAC
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