LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Tornadoes and thunderstorms ripped through eastern Kansas and Arkansas on Sunday, killing a motorist and damaging homes and businesses in several counties.
In Kansas, a tornado damaged more than 30 homes at Fort Riley and briefly knocked out power to the military base. Tornadoes were reported in six other counties in east-central Kansas, as well, though the damage was minor, according to the Kansas Division of Emergency Management.
In central Arkansas, strong winds believed to have been a tornado struck a lumberyard near Plumerville, about 40 miles northwest of Little Rock, scattering wood across an interstate and overturning vehicles.
A car headed west on the interstate was tossed into the opposite lanes and overturned, killing one person, state police spokesman Bill Sadler said.
“Whether the lumber played a role in this, that is still under investigation,” Sadler said.
Perry County emergency workers rescued another person who was trapped in a damaged home about 14 miles away in Perryville, also believed to have been hit by a tornado.
In Morrilton, just west of Plumerville, Mayor Stewart Nelson said crews were searching for missing people late into Sunday night.
Garland County Sheriff Larry Sanders said his officers had received reports of other residents trapped in damaged homes southwest of Little Rock.
Statewide, at least 7,500 homes were without power, Entergy spokesman James Thompson said.
Debris made the roads impassable for police and other rescue workers in several areas, Arkansas Department of Emergency Management spokeswoman Kelly Robinson said. She said the state had received calls reporting destroyed or damaged homes in Cleburne, Fulton and Garland counties.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
