Two tornados touched down and did damage Friday night. One touched down in Hempstead County, about nine miles south of Hope. Another touched down in Nevada County. The tornadoes were part of a storm system that came through the state around 9:30 p.m., spawning even more intense tornados in the Cave City area.
Hempstead County Office of Emergency Management Director Cathy Aaron said the tornado that struck in Hempstead County left a long and wide trail of destruction in the southern part of the county. She was having a busy Monday morning, she said.
“Right now, I'm still out talking to the residents that were affected by the tornado. It was, I believe, just a little over an eight-mile path. I'm still in the process of finding people that were affected by it,” Aaron said around 10:45 a.m. today.
She described the path taken by Friday’s tornado. “It started approximately at Hempstead [County Road} 5, and went across Highway 29 South, hit a house on Hempstead 150 and then it went across Hempstead 57 went across Hempstead 3 and then lifted a little bit further.”
She said two people were treated and released for injuries. One mobile home has been hit especially hard with several other homes sustaining roof damage.
Aaron urged those in Hempstead County whose structures have been damaged to call her office at 1-870-777-7818
At around 2:15 p.m. Monday afternoon work crews could be seen along Highway 29 about miles south of Hope. The western lane was blocked and being managed by flaggers to allow heavy equipment room to maneuver. Many uprooted trees could be seen along the highway.
A tornado also touched down in Nevada County which Aaron said was a distinctly different tornado than the one that hit Hempstead County. Video emerged in a Bluff City Facebook Group of damage there to trees and to Ebenezer Cemetery where one commenter said as many as 80 gravestones were displaced. Bluff City is 18 miles east southeast on Highway 24 from Prescott.
Nevada County Emergency Management and Fire Service Coordinator David Gummeson reported tonight that the tornado which hit in his county was an EF-2 tornado. He spent the day in the areas that were hit: "Judge Mike Otwell and myself along with the National Weather Service out of Shreveport and coordinators with the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management (ADEM) toured the damaged area and spoke to individuals affected from the storm," Gummeson said.
He described the tornado's path and the damage done. "Starting just south of the Morris Community on Nevada 45 the tornado touched down and traveled northeast crossing Highway 299, hitting two different clusters of homes and a cemetery, turning southeast towards White Oak State Park. The total tornado track was around 5.5 miles. Multiple structures were damaged along with a cemetery. Six hundred people were without power until Monday morning."
The following photos are from the area around Highway 29 South in Hempstead County.
