Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Service Remembers Twister

March 1, 1997 was a horrendous day for residents of Clark County.

A series of tornadoes ripped across the state leaving a 260-mile swath of death and destruction. The storms demolished much of downtown Arkadelphia, leaving six residents dead, more than 100 injured and many others homeless.

Businesses were left in rubble, as were governmental offices and homes.

Lives were wrecked for no apparent reason. Memories were destroyed.

However, March 1, 1998 was as different as possible.

Where the weather in 1997 was muggy after a chilly February, Sunday, March 1, 1998, was clear, breezy and cold.

In spite of the chill, hundreds of residents gathered on the west lawn of the Clark County Courthouse to remember those lost in the tornadoes.

Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee spoke, telling how the storms didn't result in people sitting around whining about what was lost, but, instead, showed the strength of character of those in Arkansas.

At the time the storms hit, Huckabee was in Perry County on I-630. He turned to the Arkansas State Police trooper with him, saying the weather felt right for tornadoes. 'I was in a tornado when I was 11 in Hope," he said. "I'll never forget that feeling."

He arrived at the governor's mansion around 3 p.m. with the phones already ringing. State Rep. Percy Malone was on the other end, telling the governor help was needed in Arkadelphia because of the storms. "I had no idea how bad it was," Huckabee said of the damage.

Within 15 minutes of his talk with Malone, Huckabee said the calls began coming in from other areas hit by the tornadoes. "Two hundred and sixty miles looked like bulldozers scraped across Arkansas to the Missouri border."

More than $500 million in property damage was done by the series of F4 twisters.

The next day, Sunday, March 2, Huckabee said, damage assessment was begun, with Arkadelphia being the first stop.

Huckabee told the throng he was disoriented upon arrival because the landmarks he was so familiar with were gone and debris was everywhere.

However, he said, something miraculous happened when he talked with people. Instead of them talking about what they lost, they told him what they had left and how their faith was untouched by the destruction.

"I had hoped to be able to give them comfort and tell them of the resources available to them," he said. "They still had their sense of humor. It was refreshing. I can't explain it, no one can."

Instead of moaning their loss, he said, people around the state geared up and began working to clear up the devastation and repair their lives.

"They were thankful for what they had left," he said. In many cases, those who lost everything in the tornadoes pitched in and helped others who hadn't.

"Storms come into all our lives," Huckabee said. "Some are physical like the tornadoes, others are emotional, like divorce. The worst ones hit when we're unprepared and can't shield ourselves. A lot may be destroyed, but, hopefully, we'll stand firm.

"I saw more deliverance than destruction," he continued, "more faith than fear. It was encouraging. I saw the most remarkable people in the world."

In the aftermath, he said, he witnessed the true meaning of the word neighbor. People showed sacrifice and selflessness during the cleanup, working to help their neighbor, even if they didn't know the people they were helping. And, he added, this was the case in many situations.

People living in unaffected regions of the state pitched in to help those who were affected by the twisters.

"There are always things in life we can hold onto," he said. "If we do every March 1 may be commemorated and celebrated. You are the light in the midst of darkness."

In addition to Huckabee speaking, two who were directly affected by the storms gave their testimonies.

Mary Carthan basically gave thanks for still being alive after the mobile home she lived in was demolished by the tornadoes while she was inside.

She told the audience how she was working at a beauty shop when word came a storm was approaching.

Upon learning this, Carthan tried to contact family members unsuccessfully and went home to check on them.

The family wasn't at the trailer when she arrived. Before she could look for them further, the bottom fell out.

Carthan said the sky to the east was rumbling sounding like the combination of a train and jet engine. An enormous smoky cloud, she said, was sucking up everything in its path.

She ran to the bathroom of the trailer and took cover, feeling the mobile home being pulled from its foundation and slamming back to earth later.

"I was scared and prayed," she said. "I couldn't hear anything. I opened my eyes and saw the destruction and tried to find my way out. I looked out, but there were no other trailers around."

Andy Berry followed, with a different sort of message.

Berry ran a legal and accounting office, which has been relocated since the storm.

He, too, was working when the tornado hit. There were two others in the building with him, with one not making it out alive when the business was demolished.

Berry said with the devastation left by the tornadoes the people in Arkadelphia had much to endure. They had to endure media attention, government promises left unfulfilled, rules on how they could rebuild being changed, as well as city workers pitching in to help clear up the debris and help those affected.

Along with the broken promises, he said, the people endured selflessness, pettiness, concern and the best and worst of the human condition.

Now, however, he said, it is time for the people of the area to get back to work, get involved and build a better future for themselves and their children. "It's time to rebuild our dreams," he said.