Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Tornado Strikes Community

While most people were getting ready to barbecue something for the Memorial Day holiday, others were recovering from a tornado.

At least 30 homes were damaged, with more than $1 million in damages from the storm.

Witnesses to the twister said they had no warning of the approaching tornado, which was reported to be about a half-mile wide.

The Center Point community near Gurdon was hit hard by the storm, with trees being twisted in half and getting ripped from the ground by their roots. Power lines were also damaged by the winds.

The roof of one family's home was ripped off, while their garage was completely destroyed.

A neighbor's house also sustained roof damage, with a brick out building being demolished.

Huge trees were torn from the earth in a pasture, while others were twisted and broken into splinters like twigs by the swirling winds.

One family lost a barn, while an out building was moved off its foundation and windows in a house were blown out.

Clark County Judge Grady Runyan saw the funnel cloud, saying it was at least half a mile wide, and one of the largest he'd ever seen.

Upon hearing of the storm, Runyan grabbed his chainsaw and headed to the affected area. He worked with county crews and the Arkansas Forestry Service to clear trees from the roads.

The Palmetto Road region was also devastated by the twister, as timber was chewed off about four feet off the ground.

Road crews worked until 10 p.m. clearing the roads of debris so people could get to and from the areas.

Then-Gov. Jim Guy Tucker declared the region a disaster area because of the destruction caused by the tornado.

Clean up work began almost as soon as the twister had ended as friends and families flooded to the area to help out in any way they could.

Clark County Office of Emergency Services coordinator Jim Burns said the tornado was unusual as the sun was shining most of the time the twister was wreaking its havoc.

Fortunately, there were no injuries due to the storm.