Powerful Midwest Storms Leave Deadly Trail

Tornadoes, Heavy Winds Rip Through Four States; 7 Killed In Arkansas

(CBS/AP)  Residents of communities across Arkansas on Saturday faced the wreckage of homes torn apart by violent weather that has pushed this year's storm death toll in the southern state up to 26.

"You can see the bags under the eyes of the people who consistently over and over again are called on to respond," Gov. Mike Beebe said Friday. "That's their job and that's our job and we'll do it, no matter how many hours it takes or how many days it takes."

Seven Arkansans were killed Friday in thunderstorms that tore up parts of four states, and two dozen or more were injured. Emergency officials initially reported eight deaths but revised the figure downward Saturday. Meteorologists said more than 25 tornadoes may have touched down across Middle America late Thursday and early Friday.

It was the latest atmospheric assault in what weather watchers say has already been a very active early storm season. Through April there have been 708 tornadoes, compared to 517 during the same period last year, CBS News correspondent Hari Sreenivasan reports. That's nearly 200 more twisters already this year.

On Saturday, the National Weather Service posted tornado watches during the morning for parts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama as an arc of strong thunderstorms rolled across the region. One Saturday morning storm damaged homes in southeastern Louisiana, and state police Sgt. James O'Quinn said a highway in St. Tammany Parish was blocked by water as much as 3 feet deep.

Destruction in Arkansas on Friday ran from Siloam Springs near the Oklahoma line to tiny communities along the Mississippi River. Powerful tornadoes killed 13 people in the state on Feb. 5 and another person on Jan. 8.

"This year it just seems like we're getting pounded," Van Buren County Sheriff Scott Bradley said.

Eighteen Arkansas counties reported damage, including some 400 homes damaged or destroyed, Renee Preslar, spokeswoman for the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management, said Saturday.

"There is clean up going on everywhere," Preslar said.

Storms ripped off roofs and toppled train cars near Kansas City, Missouri. Oklahoma endured severe hail, and tents tumbled at an open-air market in eastern Texas.

In Arkansas, members of a work crew ran inside the Southside Baptist Church just north of the Van Buren County town of Damascus after a neighbor warned them of the coming storm. They said it was total silence as the storm approached.

"Everybody was afraid," said worker Jesus Estrada, 22.

After the storm, he and others went down the street and aided firefighters who were helping people out of their homes.

Nearly 6,000 homes and businesses lost power in Arkansas.

Beebe said Arkansans would cope with the latest in a string of bad weather. The state has had a foot of snow and a foot of rain. Severe flooding killed at least five people, Preslar said.

"We will fight through it, we will get through it and we will help our neighbors," Beebe said. "We'll do what's necessary to take care of our people."

Six of the deaths Friday were in two counties, Conway and Van Buren, hit hard by the February tornado. That storm, with a 122-mile-long track, had wind estimated at 166 mph to 200 mph. Friday's tornado Friday had wind of 135 mph to 165 mph.

In central Arkansas, a man, a woman and a preschool-age child died when the storm destroyed their house just south of Bee Branch, in Van Buren County. "There wasn't anything left," Bradley said.

Another child who lived at the home had already left for school, escaping injury.

Near the Arkansas-Oklahoma line, a 15-year-old girl died early Friday when a storm toppled a tree onto her family's home in Siloam Springs. She and her 10-year-old brother were sleeping in bunk beds; the boy survived with minor injuries and was pulled from the wreckage by neighbors.

"She was dead on top of him with the tree on top of her. It was just the mattress in between them, and he was screaming `Get it off of me! Get it off of me!"' Chad Tilghman said.

A man and one of his sons died near Birdtown in Conway County; officials initially reported the death of a second son but Saturday he remained hospitalized. The seventh death was reported in Pulaski County, south of Little Rock.

Brandon Baker, Conway County's emergency services director, said six people with "pretty severe" injuries were taken to a hospital. Ten to 20 homes were destroyed in a rural area.

"At this point, we're all at the mercy of Mother Nature," Smith said.

In Oklahoma, storms produced tornadoes, strong winds and large hail, causing structural damage and power outages but no serious injuries, authorities said.

About 10,000 electric customers in the state lost power at one point, but most were back on by Friday afternoon.

At least three tornadoes raked across central and northern Oklahoma, including one in Osage County near Tulsa that was an estimated 100 yards wide.

Earlier, storms late Thursday and early Friday seriously damaged homes and businesses in the Kansas City, Mo., area, and tornadoes were also reported in Texas, although there were no immediate reports of severe damage.

A cold front set off the severe weather. The National Weather Service issued tornado warnings for several counties in central and north Arkansas, while trained spotters reported a tornado down near Damascus and another near Carlisle. There also were unconfirmed reports of tornadoes at Center Ridge and near Greers Ferry, and law enforcement agencies reported tornado sightings in East End, Hensley, Keo, and Woodson.

[bdrlnt4rl]

ok, tracka these devestating storms starting feb 5 when ar supported huckabee......every state that has been hit by devestating tornado have been the states that support huckabbee. no joke, very scary.

huckabee change your hypocritical lying religious intolerant ways and save the people from devestation.

until then, if huck and his preaching remains evil, the people will suffer!

track hucks supporting states and these devestating storms and you will see that there is a connection.

[forthepeopl1]

we the people can STOP all in CONGRESS and the WHITEHOUSE with something so easy, and we would not have to fire a shot at anyone to have this REVOLUTION, THATS RIGHT A REVOLUTION IS WHAT IS NEEDED TO STOP THEM ALL IN THEIR TRACKS.

HOW. WE THE PEOPLE DONT WORK OR DO ANYTHING FOR A FEW WEEKS, SEE HOW FAST THEY START DOING SOMETHING FOR AMERICANS, WHEN NO MONEY IS GOING ONTO THE GOVERNEMNT FOR A FEW WEEKS, SEE NO FOOD BEING DRIVEN TO STORES, THIS IS THE ONLY WAY WE AS AMERICANS CAN TAKE OUR COUNTRY BACK.. SO AMERICANS BETTER WAKE UP AND LETS START A COMPLETE BOY-COTT OF WORK..THIS WILL ONLY WORK IF ALL DO IT.

[e-mail]

[al2008-2009]

.
I%u2019m appalled at the governor%u2019s lack of response to the global warming thunderstorms and tornadoes. We have no comprehensive strategy in place whatsoever, let alone a detailed plan of action to mitigate the effects of these tornadoes, and mother earth continues to suffer while the governor%u2019s office refuses to go forward and do what%u2019s right for mother earth.
.
How long must we sit idly by while our mother continues to suffer from the warming taking place at a feverish pace? How long must our mother suffer before we have proper c02 taxes put into place? How long must the destruction of mother earth take place before we finally put responsible plans into action? How long must we wait until we beef up our corn ethanol production? At least Obama wants to cut c02 pollution by 80%; he is definitely our best hope.
.
We the people call upon the governor to implement a comprehensive antiglobal warming strategy at once and work in coordination with state and federal officials; these tornadoes and storms continue to worsen and the quicker we stop the warming the sooner we will see these storms cease. We need action now.

[b-easy63]

Makes me glad I live in Ohio. Our winters are horrible, but heavy snow and cold and endless gray skies don''''t usually kill anybody.


Posted by Grizzster at 05:10 PM : May 02, 2008

I used to live in Cincinnati and have lived in Indianapolis. Winter storms DO kill people every year with blizzards and numerous accidents on the roads. IN addition, with oil going up so much, no doubt the number of hypothermia and freezing to death cases will rise even more as will those who contract the flu, etc from the lack of warmth coupled with sick homes full of viruses. On the face of it tornadoes are scary --but the fact is, both Indiana and Ohio also get tornadoes and have horrible winters with deaths to boot. They also have flooding (Ohio river runs right by Cinn ) that destroys homes, crops and kills people.

The days of kennelration (when people take solace in pointing out how their dad, life, dog, place is better than someone elses) is over. There''s good and bad in every place and if one thing does not get you--if God says it is your time to go---then something else will take you out--******* happens, stop trying to pretend your ******* is better than the next persons--it all stinks and it all hits the fan.

[b-easy63]

"It sounded like all hell was breaking loose," Payne said.

It has. You elected the Antichrist and his helper to lead this nation--TWICE!

Posted by gce65 at 09:42 PM : May 02, 2008


The Antichrist has not yet been elected. We elected the "false prophet" who preceded the antichrist--but the antichrist is still trying to prove her electability by staying in the race. Both the antichrist and her husband the false prophet are from Arkansas so the hits are not even surprising, and both the antichrist and her prophet are huge liars--and God says that every liar has their true father in Satan.

so that about wraps up the Clintons, don''t you think? LMAO

[b-easy63]

am posting at about 12:26 CDT from Little Rock, and there are now being reported 6 fatalities. Our state has been hit extremely hard so far this year with floods and tornados, causing untold death and destruction.

This is just a tough thing for so many to have to go through. May God bless !!

Posted by janiet3 at 01:29 PM : May 02, 2008


That''s just it--God is trying to tell Arkansans something--maybe it has to do with Bill and Hillary Clinton--after all, the bible says God HATES a liar....

[b-easy63]

Arkansas keeps getting battered. Maybe the preachers in Arakansas can let God know...that Hillary and Bill are not in the state at this time, and so others don''t need to be killed as proxies for them.

[jboxton]

Awww....so what. It''s the midwest. They are a bunch of illiterate hillbililes anyways. A few less doesn''t hurt. In fact, it probably gives the US a higher average IQ.

[bdrlnt4rl]

it all started feb 5 when these hard hit states supported huckabee. if this is not a sign, i do not know what else is. if huckabee moved to my state, i would move. the man is evil. and the poor people who are suffering due to these violent storms are in my thoughts and prayers, and huckabee is to blame. if you do not agree, look back at the storm tracks and look at all the states that got hit right after an election of huckabee winning that state, and look at how hard ar is being hit, because that is where huckabee is now.

change your thought and words mr huckabee and save the people from more trauma

[barbaraf4]

Arkansas seems to take a direct hit everytime BIG weather comes through. I don''t think you could pay me enough to live in that state!