Leader staff reports
No one was injured when trees crashed into two houses near Lonoke City Hall at about 3 a.m. Friday, as straight-line winds blew over power poles and trees throughout the county and left 900 people—maybe more—without power, according to local officials.
A Cabot fire station was damaged in the storm that left nine dead in the state.
“We’ve had lots of power outages, with trees down in high-line wires,” said Lonoke County Sheriff Jim Roberson. “The main feed line is down in the south part of the county.”
Lonoke County schools were closed for lack of power, and power was off in the county assessor’s office, but not in her office or others in the building, said Kathy Zasimovich, director of the Lonoke County Office of Emergency Management.
Earlier reports that people had to be extricated from one house were incorrect, according to Lonoke Police Chief Mike Wilson.
A tree “tore the front off the house,” in the 400 block of West Third Street, Wilson said. “We had all kinds of damage. We had several trees down across power lines, and (on state Hwy. 89) at the cemetery and (Mallard Point) golf course, three (electrical) poles fell across the street.”
Wilson said his officers responded early to problems, but that city street crews were out dealing with the problems and clearing streets.”
In Lonoke’s north end —north of Third Street — there were several homes and businesses without electricity. Trees and limbs also fell on cars and damaged a few.
Mayor Wayne McGee was out with city crews through theearly morning hours, according Deputy City Clerk Regina Ibbotson.
“We’ve got power lines and trees down from Lonoke south, across to Carlisle,” said Lonoke County Judge Doug Erwin. “Seems like they got more trouble than anyone else. Cabot was okay.”
He said he and his road foreman were up all night long watching for problems, and county road crews “started first thing this morning, clearing roads.”
Erwin said they erected barricades on Red Wine Road between Lonoke and Keo, because of downed power lines and trees.
“I hope it’s all clear by tomorrow,” he said. “Electric crews have been working steady, spread pretty thin,” Erwin said.
Cabot Mayor Bill Cypert said a large tree limb broke and totaled a park and recreation department truck parked behind the department’s maintenance building on South First Street near the baseball fields.
Lightning struck Fire Station 3 on 3540 W. Main St. The bolt damaged computers, radios and electrical equipment.
A tree fell at East Main Street near Bethel Baptist Church damaging cable television lines.
High winds in Beebe destroy-ed a carport at 1208 S. First St. Homeowner Larry Bell said the carport was anchored down in the backyard. Winds lifted up the carport, damaging two storage sheds, and pitched it over the house, damaging the roof. The carport took out Bell’s mailbox and power lines in his front yard. The crumpled carport came to a rest in an empty lot across the street in the Southfork subdivision.
“I’m lucky it didn’t land on my truck,” Bell said.
Beebe Street Department Supervisor Milton McCullar said there was a tree down on Oakleaf Drive. A tree was damaged on Campbell Drive.
There were no reports of storm damage or trees down in Austin or Ward.
Jacksonville and Sherwood both suffered relatively minor storm damage.
Felled trees partially blocked Brockington Road and two other Sherwood streets, but those spots were quickly cleared.
“We had one tree reported down on James Street,” said Jacksonville’s Public Works Director Jim Oakley.
Mayor Gary Fletcher applauded the city’s CodeRED system for keeping everyone informed.
“We have about 1,500 residents on the system, but that leaves plenty not on the call list. The service is free, and the last two storms have hit in the middle of the night,” the mayor said.
Jacksonville and Cabot both have the warning system, and residents can access information through the cities’ websites.
(Leader staff writers Joan McCoy, Rick Kron and Jeffrey Smith contributed to this report.)
