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Survivors Look For Belongings

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The Associated Press

Published: May 4, 2008

DAMASCUS, Ark. - Smoke rose from burning heaps of wreckage Saturday as residents of rural Arkansas cleaned up what was left of their homes after deadly tornadoes scoured a state that has been plagued by severe weather this year.

All that remained of Shelia Massey's home were a chimney, a bathroom wall and a bathtub that was her storm shelter.

"God's hand came down and held us there while the rest of the house just blew away," said Massey, 54. "That's all there was to it. The Lord held us there."

The storms killed seven people, damaged or destroyed about 400 homes, and knocked out electrical and telephone service for thousands of customers in 18 counties.

Altogether, meteorologists said more than 25 tornadoes may have touched down across middle America late Thursday and early Friday, but Arkansas was the hardest hit.
National Weather Service teams were sent out to survey damage for their count of the tornadoes, and state emergency management workers helped county officials with damage assessments. Arkansas National Guard members were on hand to provide security.

Elsewhere 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.

Those storms, with possible tornadoes, damaged at least two dozen homes and knocked out power in Mississippi's Union County. No injuries were reported.

A line of storms crossing southeastern Louisiana damaged trees and homes. The Weather Service reported 6 inches of rain in parts of St. Tammany and Tangipahoa parishes, with estimates of 10 inches in places, meteorologist Bob Wagner said.
Catastrophic weather has been a recurring event in Arkansas this year, with at least 26 deaths, most occurring in rural communities and on farms far from the nearest warning siren.

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