At least eight dead in Arkansas following severe storms

BAXTER COUNTY, Ark. — At least eight fatalities have been confirmed from the storms that raged across Northern Arkansas overnight Sunday, according to Arkansas state officials and the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management.

Three people are confirmed dead in both Benton County and Marion County, and one death was confirmed in both Baxter County and Boone County.

Marion County Sheriff Gregg Alexander confirmed at least two deaths from severe weather as deputies and first responders continued to check houses damaged by the storms. Alexander also noted that power is still out for most Marion County residents and that utility companies will try to restore power to the area as soon as they can. The Red Cross has set up a shelter at the Marion County Fairgrounds.

The Marion County coroner said the other death in the county may not have been caused by the storms.

A house off US-62 east of Snow sustained severe damage. The back of the home was completely torn apart, along with several trees in the front and backyard. The woman living inside the home was not injured.

“The damage I saw here after coming from the south where I live [is] nothing compared to this,” Eric Foreman from Yellville Arkansas said. The damage to the house off US-62 was severe enough for him to pull off the road. “Right now I’m shaking. I’m scared for the people that may have been hurt. These are real people. Their lives [are] torn apart. Most people down here are retired or older or just barely living off the land.”

The severe weather also ripped through a home off Connor’s Place east of Snow. The family made it out safely and uninjured.

“It’s devastating,” Noah Mumau said. Mumau is a storm chaser for the National Weather Service. “It is people lives that are just abruptly removed, ruined. I took a screenshot on my phone of the radar of the large debris signature that was just near this area just to the northwest at around 3:52 a.m.”

The identity of those who died in the storms in Marion County has not been released pending the notification of the next of kin.

Benton County Judge Barry Moehring confirmed one death and multiple injuries Sunday morning. The death was later found to be caused by a tree that landed on a mobile home.

In a press conference, Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders confirmed two other deaths in Benton County that were partially attributed to severe weather. One death was caused by a heart attack during the storms and the other death was said by U.S. Rep. Steve Womack to have been caused by someone losing their oxygen due to the power going out.

According to a Facebook post from the City of Harrison, Arkansas, the Harrison Fire Chief confirmed that a 26-year-old woman in the Olvey area southeast of Harrison had died and others in the home were injured from a possible tornado that traveled east from the Bellefonte area. The Harrison Fire Chief also reported additional injuries at other houses in the area, damaged homes and other major building damage.

The Baxter County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) also confirmed that 73-year-old Patricia Anne Sontag died from Sunday’s severe storms after emergency personnel found her deceased 300 yards north of her mobile home, which was destroyed during the storms.

BCSO also reported seventeen injuries suffered across the county, including six pediatric patients and a child who was taken to a Children’s Hospital in Little Rock. Multiple road closures, downed trees and power lines and electrical power outages overnight were also reported by BCSO due to heavy storm damage. Some roads have since been reopened.

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