Dozens hurt when tornado strikes Little Rock as dangerous storms spread across 15 states
Last edited Fri Mar 31, 2023, 09:14 PM - Edit history (2)
Source: CBS News
A tornado plowed through Arkansas' capital and surrounding areas Friday afternoon, reducing rooftops to splinters, toppling vehicles and tossing debris on roadways as people raced for shelter.
Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott, Jr. reported on Twitter Friday evening that at least 24 people had been hospitalized with storm-related injuries. He added that officials were "not aware of any fatalities...at this time." He described the property damage as "extensive."
The Little Rock Fire Department reported heavy damage and debris in the western end of the city, saying on its Facebook page that firefighters were performing rescue operations in the area. More than 350,000 people were at risk as what the National Weather Service called a "confirmed large and destructive tornado" tore through business districts and neighborhoods in Little Rock and North Little Rock.
The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Medical Center in Little Rock was operating at a mass casualty level and expecting at least 15 to 20 patients from the tornado, spokesperson Leslie Taylor said. Several people had already been transported to the medical center, but an exact count was not immediately available.
Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/dangerous-storms-tornadoes-forecast-midwest-south-missouri-arkansas-iowa/
Article updated.
Previous article -
The Little Rock Fire Department reported heavy damage and debris in the western end of the city, saying on its Facebook page that firefighters were performing rescue operations in the area. More than 350,000 people were at risk as what the National Weather Service called a "confirmed large and destructive tornado" tore through business districts and neighborhoods in Little Rock and North Little Rock.
The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Medical Center in Little Rock was operating at a mass casualty level and expecting at least 15 to 20 patients from the tornado, spokesperson Leslie Taylor said.
Several people had already been transported to the medical center, but an exact count was not immediately available. Mark Hulsey, a special projects manager for Pulaski County, which includes Little Rock, said at least one person was in critical condition. The county's unincorporated areas saw structural damage from the tornado but crews haven't yet encountered any buildings that were "flattened or completely destroyed," Hulsey said.
Passengers and airport employees at Clinton National Airport in Little Rock took shelter in bathrooms. And aerial footage showed several rooftops were torn from homes in Little Rock and nearby Benton. Nearly 70,000 customers in Arkansas were out of power on Friday afternoon, according to PowerOutage.us, which tracks outages; about 37,000 were without power in neighboring Oklahoma. "Significant damage has occurred in Central Arkansas," Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders tweeted.
Original article/headline -
A tornado plowed through Arkansas' capital and surrounding areas Friday afternoon, reducing rooftops to splinters, toppling vehicles and tossing debris on roadways as people raced for shelter. The Little Rock Fire Department reported heavy damage and debris in the western end of the city, saying on its Facebook page that firefighters were performing rescue operations in the area.
More than 350,000 people were at risk as what the National Weather Service called a "confirmed large and destructive tornado" tore through business districts and neighborhoods in Little Rock and North Little Rock. The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Medical Center in Little Rock was operating at a mass casualty level and expecting at least 15 to 20 patients from the tornado, spokesperson Leslie Taylor said. Several people had already been transported to the medical center, but an exact count was not immediately available.
Mark Hulsey, a special projects manager for Pulaski County, which includes Little Rock, said at least one person was in critical condition. The county's unincorporated areas saw structural damage from the tornado but crews haven't yet encountered any buildings that were "flattened or completely destroyed," Hulsey said. Passengers and airport employees at Clinton National Airport in Little Rock took shelter in bathrooms. And aerial footage showed several rooftops were torn from homes in Little Rock and nearby Benton.
Nearly 70,000 customers in Arkansas were out of power on Friday afternoon, according to PowerOutage.us, which tracks outages; about 37,000 were without power in neighboring Oklahoma. "Significant damage has occurred in Central Arkansas," Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders tweeted. "I'm in constant communication with AR State Police and @AR_Emergencies who are working with local law enforcement to assist anyone injured. Praying for all those who were and remain in the path of this storm."
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