April 30th, 2010
10:10 PM ET

Death toll lowered in Arkansas storms

The death toll from severe storms in northern Arkansas has been lowered to one person, emergency officials said early Saturday.

Officials had initially said three people had been killed when the storm and three possible tornadoes walloped Van Buren County on Friday.

The number of injuries in the county was also less than previously reported, said Rene Preslar, a spokeswoman for the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management.

There were 10 people injured in the county instead of the 25 previously reported, Preslar said.

"We are still looking at a number of damages, but fortunately the human impact is lower than previously thought."

Twenty-three people were injured statewide, Preslar said.

Kenny Dunham, a spokesman for the sheriff's office, said there were reports of severe damage in the west central part of the county, about 75 miles north of Little Rock.

Three homes have been destroyed in Shady Grove, Arkansas, the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management said.

The National Weather Service has issued a tornado watch for central and eastern Arkansas - along with parts of Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas, until 4 a.m. CT Saturday. In addition to tornadoes, the National Weather Service warned of hail up to 2.5 inches in diameter, thunderstorm wind gusts of up to 70 miles per hour and dangerous lighting.

Many roads in Van Buren County are blocked and authorities have closed some highways to prevent people from trying to access affected areas, Dunham said.

The storms prompted the Little Rock National Airport to cease operations Friday night, spokesman TJ Williams said.

 Post by:
Filed under: U.S. • Uncategorized • Weather
soundoff (140 Responses)
  1. NATALIE

    THE FATALITIES WERE IN VAN BUREN COUNTY ..CITY SCOTLAND

    I LIVE IN LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS

    April 30, 2010 at 10:56 pm | Report abuse |
  2. tim

    god's wrath...

    April 30, 2010 at 10:57 pm | Report abuse |
    • Zack

      What do you mean when you wrote God's wrath?

      August 9, 2010 at 1:07 am | Report abuse |
  3. op

    I believe they have said the deaths and injuries were in Scotland in van buren county...we're in nlr hope it passes

    April 30, 2010 at 10:59 pm | Report abuse |
  4. clw4514

    they r not giving more info bcuz they dont have more info! it is breaking news and a work in progress. emergency services cannot reach all of the areas due to debris. wifi and such is going in and out in the areas of the storms. for those of u trying to reach loved ones, just keep trying. in addition to the wifi fading in and out, im sure the circuits r overloaded w/ concerned folks calling.

    and yes, i am from arkansas currently living in mphs,tn. pray to ur God for us all. its gonna be a rough nite.

    April 30, 2010 at 10:59 pm | Report abuse |
  5. Jo in Arkansas

    So very sorry to hear of the fatalites. Our prayers go out to the family and friends of those who lost their life. We live midway between Jonesboro and Paragould. Storms headed our way. I hope and pray all are safe–we do not need any more tragedies! Hang on tight! It does look bad! Fierce storms such as these bombarding Arkansas and surrounding states such as Missouri become so wicked and frightening! It's hard to really go to a safe place–our bathroom is ours. Stay safe out there! News on right now. My on my–it looks TERRIBLE!!!!!!!!

    April 30, 2010 at 11:00 pm | Report abuse |
  6. John

    Had no idea there were tornadoes... I'm in Fayetteville (where the U of A is, in northwestern arkansas) and we even had a baseball game tonight against Auburn. (Won 9-4, go hogs.) But that's bizarre that there was so much damage so close to here and everything was perfectly normal only a few miles away! My prayers are with the families of those affected tonight.

    April 30, 2010 at 11:00 pm | Report abuse |
  7. Yolanda

    Take cover Arkansans and we here in Atlanta are praying for your safety!!!
    Please B-careful!!!

    April 30, 2010 at 11:00 pm | Report abuse |
  8. Jo in Arkansas

    Yolanda is that you who used to be with KAIT8? We miss you! Yes, it's bad here, but if you were from here, you KNOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hear storms are strengthening! Headed toward Balk Knob and Jonesboro. God be with us!

    April 30, 2010 at 11:03 pm | Report abuse |
  9. Michael

    Thoughts and prayers from West Texas to the folks in Arkansas that have been affected by these deadly storms.

    April 30, 2010 at 11:04 pm | Report abuse |
  10. boobie

    Scottland County near Van Buren Co... is where the tornado hit. it traveled through faulkner road and crossed I40 going toward lonoke Co.

    April 30, 2010 at 11:11 pm | Report abuse |
  11. Jillian

    I'm at ASU in Jonesboro, AR. We've dodged alot of storms this year, hopefully it won't hit us too hard. I'm so sad for those in other parts of the state that we affected by it ðŸ™

    April 30, 2010 at 11:12 pm | Report abuse |
  12. rusty in texas

    Our prayers for those who lost llves and homes...may there not be any more damage or lives lost...God Bless...from Texas!

    April 30, 2010 at 11:13 pm | Report abuse |
  13. boobie

    It appears another storm is about to hit East End... the Sirens are going off again!!!

    April 30, 2010 at 11:16 pm | Report abuse |
  14. Fran Emerson

    The oil spill is indeed a huge story, but we are getting hammered here in Central Arkansas. At least three have lost their lives and countless homes & businesses are damaged. Please focus on this. As I type, the tornado sirens are going off again! This is a serious situation which deserves attention.

    April 30, 2010 at 11:16 pm | Report abuse |
  15. CarolG

    My prayers are with all of you and yes, please, please we need more details as I have very dear friends in Conway and north of there. I agree that it may be that there isn't any more details, but is it very heartbreaking when all we know is north of LR. Take care, folks.
    Carol

    April 30, 2010 at 11:18 pm | Report abuse |
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
« Back to main