DAMASCUS, Ark. — Smoke rose from burning heaps of wreckage Saturday as residents of rural Arkansas cleaned up what was left of their homes after deadly tornadoes scoured a state.
All that remained of Shelia Massey’s home were a chimney, a bathroom wall and a bathtub that was her storm shelter.
“God’s hand came down and held us there while the rest of the house just blew away,” said Massey, 54. “That’s all there was to it. The Lord held us there.”
The storms, which struck Friday, killed seven people, damaged or destroyed about 400 homes, and knocked out electrical and phone service for thousands in 18 counties.
Altogether, meteorologists said, more than 25 tornadoes may have touched down across middle America late Thursday and early Friday; Arkansas was the hardest hit.
Down U.S. 65 from Massey’s house, parishioners at Southside Baptist Church salvaged what was left of their old sanctuary and their recently completed new church.
The storm had collapsed the roof of the their new sanctuary, bending its steel beams like sipping straws.
Public officials offered comfort and support. U.S. Rep. Vic Snyder, D-Ark., and a staff member shook hands with volunteers cleaning the church, and Gov. Mike Beebe scheduled a tour of the damaged area.
National Weather Service teams were sent out to survey damage for their count of the tornadoes, and state emergency workers helped county officials with damage assessments. Arkansas National Guard members were on hand to provide security.
