2011 — Apr 25, Severe Storms, Flash Floods, Tornadoes, , especially Vilonia–10

—  10  Christian Science Monitor. “Severe Arkansas Weather: State Braces…” 4-26-2011.

—  10  Newsday.com (AP).  “Weather Service: Ark. In for More Severe Weather.” Apr 26, 2011.

—  10  OzarksFirst.com.  “Death Toll Climbs to 10 in Arkansas Storms, Flooding.” 4-26-2011.

—    9  Seattlepi.com (AP).  “Flooding, Tornado Kill 9 in Arkansas.” April 26, 2011.

 

Drowning       (6)

—  6  Statewide. Christian Science Monitor. “Severe Ark. Weather: State Braces…” 4-26-2011.

—  2  Bentonville.  Seattlepi.com (AP).  “Flooding, Tornado Kill 9 in Arkansas.” April 26, 2011.

—  3  NW Ark.       Seattlepi.com (AP).  “Flooding, Tornado Kill 9 in Arkansas.” April 26, 2011.

 

Tornado         (4)

—  4  State.  NOAA. April 2011 Tornado Info. “April 25-28, 2011, Tornado Outbreak Statistics.”

—  4  Vilonia    Seattlepi.com (AP).  “Flooding, Tornado Kill 9 in Arkansas.” April 26, 2011.

 

Narrative Information

 

April 26, AP: “Bentonville, Ark. (AP) — A tornado tore up a small central Arkansas town, killing four people and leaving the governor wondering Tuesday how so many others managed to survive. The night of brutal storms killed at least nine people in the state, and more harsh weather was forecast.  The tornado smashed through the heart of Vilonia, just north of Little Rock, on Monday night, ripping the roof off the grocery store, flattening homes, tossing vehicles into the air and twisting one tractor-trailer like a wrung dish rag.  Four people died in the same division, having sought shelter in less-than-sturdy structures. Two were in separate manufactured homes, while the other two tried to ride out the storm in the disconnected trailer of a big-rig truck. Faulkner County spokesman Stephan Hawks said their bodies were later found in a pond.  All four were adults, he said. He declined to release their names because their relatives were still being notified.

 

“Gov. Mike Beebe toured the rural community of 3,800 with emergency officials Tuesday morning and talked with storm survivors as they cleared debris from their homes.  “These folks have faced some terrible losses and I’m surprised there aren’t more fatalities, based upon looking at some of the damage,” Beebe said.  Beebe credited the survivals on an early tornado-warning system, “luck” and “just the good Lord watching over.”  The tornado battered most of the homes in the Quail Hollow subdivision of Vilonia, leaving many without a roof. A wooden fence could be seen sticking out of the top one house….

 

“Faulkner County spokesman Stephan Hawks said the infrastructure in and around Vilonia was badly damaged.  “One of the hardest hit things is the utilities. It tore down power lines for, gosh, I’d guess a mile or so. It snapped overhead poles like they were toothpicks. It’s pretty devastating,” Hawks said. “It was a heck of a little tornado.”

 

“Two men apparently drowned in Bentonville after the small pickup truck they were in was swamped by a swollen creek, likely the night before, Benton County Coroner Daniel Oxford said….

 

“Three other people died in the flooding elsewhere in northwest Arkansas, authorities said….

 

“In Garland County, about 60 miles southwest of Little Rock, rescuers struggled because of the tremendous number of downed trees and power lines.  “We still at this time have people trapped in homes that have not been reached because of downed power poles and storm damage,” Garland County emergency management coordinator Joy Sanders said….

 

“Garland County sheriff’s spokesman Judy Daniell said an 8-month-old baby was sent to Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock with a head injury, but that no other major injuries have been reported in the area….

 

“The deaths from Monday’s storms bring this month’s storm-related death toll in Arkansas to 15….

 

“John Robinson, a weather service warning coordination meteorologist, said it could take days to survey all the damage from Monday’s storms.  “It wouldn’t surprise me if we were to end up with a count of 10 or 12 tornadoes by the time all the surveys are completed,” Robinson said.

 

“Rescuers in Garland County battled to reach areas that were cut off late Monday by the flooding.  Sanders, the emergency coordinator, said crews used boats to rescue people from some storm-damaged areas.  “It’s difficult this early on to find out what really has happened,” said Sanders, who noted that rescuers have thus far relied on reports from residents who speculated about which of their neighbors may have been home when the storm swiped the region.

 

“Several rivers in northeast Arkansas topped flood stage, with waters spreading over mainly agricultural land. City Hall in Hardy was evacuated in anticipation of the floodwaters, as were homes along the Spring River, even though most were built on 10-foot pilings.  Roads in and out of the area were impassable due to flood waters.” (AP. “Flooding, Tornado Kill 9 in Arkansas.” April 26, 2011.)

 

April 26, CSM: “Little Rock, Ark…. On Monday night, a tornado touched down in Vilonia, a town of 3,000 in central Arkansas. Four deaths were reported and six more deaths occurred in the state from flash flooding. An earlier storm on April 15 left seven people dead…. In metropolitan Little Rock, neighborhoods were strewn with uprooted trees, downed power lines, and damaged houses.” (Christian Science Monitor. “Severe Ark. Weather: State Braces With Flashlights…” 4-26-2011)

 

April 26, Newsday/AP: “(AP) — A day after a series of powerful storms in Arkansas killed 10 people in flooding and a tornado that twisted a tractor-trailer like a wrung dish rag, residents in several states braced Tuesday for a second straight night of violent weather as forecasters again called for twisters to hammer the region.” (Newsday.com (AP). “Weather Service: Ark. In for More Severe Weather.” Apr 26, 2011.)

 

April 26, OzarksFirst.com: “Little Rock, AR — Arkansas now records 10 deaths in Monday’s severe weather outbreak. The latest victims to be counted died during flooding in Benton County and Perry County.   Four people were killed in a violent tornado that hit the Faulkner County town of Vilonia.  The other deaths, all from flooding were two in Madison County, a second one in Benton County and one more in Washington County….

 

“According to Stephan Hawks, Public Information Officer for Faulkner County, the storm left a path of destruction approximately 3 miles wide and 15 miles long, and destroyed 14 to 16 homes in Vilonia….

 

“One woman died in Washington County when her vehicle was swept into the Illinois River.  One woman died in Washington County when her vehicle was swept into the Illinois River. Washington County Sheriff Tim Helder says the victim, 38-year-old Consuelo Santillano of West Fork, attempted to drive her van through high water on Highway 265 when the vehicle stalled.  She reportedly made it out of the vehicle, but was swept into the flood waters.  Her 11-year-old son was a passenger in the vehicle, but escaped without injuries.

 

“Two more deaths were recorded in Madison County, where an elderly couple drowned in War Eagle Creek.  Officials are not releasing the names of the couple who died, but said they were attempting to drive through rushing water covering Highway 23 between Huntsville and Witter when their vehicle was carried away.

 

“The National Weather Service reports nearly a foot of rain had fallen in 48 hours with more in the forecast.  Governor Mike Beebe has declared a statewide state of emergency in response to the tornadoes and flooding in Arkansas.” (OzarksFirst.com. “Death Toll Climbs to 10 in Arkansas Storms, Flooding.” 4-26-2011.)

 

Sources

 

Associated Press (Andrew DeMillo and Nomaan Merchant). “Flooding, tornado kill 9 in Arkansas.” 4-26-2011. Accessed 6-10-2015 at: http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2011/apr/26/flooding-tornado-kill-9-in-arkansas/

 

Christian Science Monitor. “Severe Arkansas Weather: State Braces With Flashlights, Twitter, and Prayer.” 4-26-2011. Accessed at:  http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2011/0426/Severe-Arkansas-weather-state-braces-with-flashlights-Twitter-and-prayer

 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. April 2011 Tornado Information. “April 25-28, 2011, Tornado Outbreak Statistics.” Accessed 5-9-2011 at:  http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/april_2011_tornado_information.html

 

Newsday.com (AP). “Weather Service: Ark. In for More Severe Weather,” 4-26-2011. At:  http://www.newsday.com/news/nation/weather-service-ark-in-for-more-severe-weather-1.2838975?qr=1

 

OzarksFirst.com. “Death Toll Climbs to 10 in Arkansas Storms, Flooding.” 4-26-2011.  Accessed at: http://ozarksfirst.com/fulltext?nxd_id=445267