WYNNE, Ark. — Drone video shows dozens of homes and businesses destroyed by a tornado in Wynne, Arkansas on Friday.
Stunned residents of Wynne, a community of about 8,000 people 50 miles west of Memphis, woke Saturday to find the high school's roof shredded and its windows blown out. Huge trees lay on the ground, their stumps reduced to nubs. Broken walls, windows and roofs pocked homes and businesses.
Four deaths had been confirmed by Saturday morning in Wynne.
Debris and memories of regular life lay scattered inside the damaged shells of homes and strewn on lawns: clothing, insulation, roofing paper, toys, splintered furniture, a pickup truck with its windows shattered.
“I’m sad that my town has been hit so hard,” said Heidi Jenkins, a salon owner. “Our school is gone, my church is gone. I’m sad for all the people who lost their homes.”
Recovery was already underway, with workers using chain saws to cut fallen trees and bulldozers moving material from shattered structures. Utility trucks worked to restore power. Groups of volunteers gathered to plan their day.
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders activated 100 members of the National Guard to help local authorities respond.