x
Breaking News
More () »

Small Arkansas town in state of emergency after severe storms damaged area

Calhoun County, which issued a state of emergency, was among the worst-hit areas as severe storms rolled through Arkansas.

HAMPTON, Ark. — Areas across Arkansas saw severe storms and damage on Thursday night and Friday morning.

One of the worst-hit areas was Calhoun County.

County Judge Floyd Nutt has declared a state of emergency, hoping they can receive help for the neighbors who have property damage. Thankfully, there were no reports of injuries or deaths because of the severe weather.

"We are so blessed," Nutt said. "That's the good thing. We can rebuild, move trees, whatever... nobody's hurt. That's the main thing."

The storm hit Hampton around 4:30 Friday morning. Shops were damaged, a house had a tree fall on it, the strong winds blew away a barn and even the old oak in front of the courthouse split in two.

Zach Anders was supposed to move into his new storefront this weekend. Instead, he's spending it cleaning up the damage from the storm.

"I got word that businesses had broken windows in town," Anders said. "I came up here, walked around the building, saw my roof was off, opened the door, and saw that I had water everywhere."

The small town has been cleaning debris from the roads all day and assessing the damage. Anders' store, Events by Zachary, will delay its grand opening.

"I've got some guys coming tomorrow to do some damage control," Anders said. "It's been a tough day for our community."

There are a little more than 100 people without power in Calhoun County. The Electric Co-op expects power to be restored to all houses by Saturday.

Before You Leave, Check This Out