The now-world-famous Guatemala City sinkhole, which opened following a recent tropical storm, is estimated to be 66 feet wide, 100 feet deep, and perfectly cylindrical in shape. It must be seen to be believed. Here are five amazing facts about the sinkhole and, as a bonus at the bottom, three not-so-amazing “facts.”

Might Still Get Bigger Politics Daily's Carl Franzen warns the sinkhole may be “increasing in size and appetite.” He writes, “The phenomenon of rapidly growing sinkholes is well documented, but the Guatemala case stands out precisely because the sinkhole is so enormous and in such an inconvenient location, at a major intersection. The sinkhole's potential growth is also problematic for repair efforts, as no work can be begun safely until the sinkhole has reached an equilibrium and stops…well, sinking, which could take up to several more days.”

Could Be Caused by Sped-Up Geological Erosion Geologists David Bercovici and Mark Brandon tell Vanity Fair, “Sinkholes often appear in areas where the rock below the ground is limestone, carbonate rock, salt beds, or rocks that can be naturally dissolved by circulating ground water. As the sediment dissolves, caves and air pockets develop underneath the land surface. If there is not enough support for the land above the spaces, then the ground collapses and results in a sinkhole. Natural depressions that collect water and man-made structures such as houses and streets with poor drainage are especially vulnerable to sinkholes. Heavy rainfall, like that from Tropical Storm Agatha, only accelerates the process.”

Sewer System May Be to Blame The Christian Science Monitor's Sara Miller Llana reports, “The mayor Guatemala City, Álvaro Arzú, said there may be a relationship between the sinkhole and the city's 36-year old drainage system that runs 50-60 meters below the surface. He said, according to 21st Century, a Guatemala daily newspaper, that the country's disaster response agency, CONRED, is using an X-ray like machine to study the earth in the area of the sinkhole.” Other reports cite “sewer or municipal water lines [that] might have eroded the ground and led to the collapse.”

This Has Happened Before The Christian Science Monitor's Ezra Fieser recounts, “In 2007, three people were killed when a 100-foot deep sinkhole opened in another Guatemala City neighborhood. More than 1,000 people were evacuated from the area.” Carl Franzen adds, “Just last month, a sinkhole opened in Quebec swallowing an entire house and killing the family inside. In the U.S., they are most common in the southern states, particularly Texas, Alabama, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee and Florida, where hundreds of smaller sinkholes have already been reported this year alone.”

How We Can Fix It Politics Daily's Carl Franzen explains three options. (1) Excavate and Filter; (2) Remediate and Cap Grout; (3) Underpin. That last one comes from “Sinkhole attorneys Marshall Thomas Burnett, a firm specializing in filing claims for those whose properties are affected by the appearance of sinkholes.” Click through for descriptions of each process.

3 Not-So-Amazing Sinkhole 'Facts'

You Can Throw Stuff in It Death and Taxes blogger Matt Kiebus helpfully contributes “fun stuff to toss in” the sinkhole. His 12-item list includes such throwables as Miller Lite bottles and BP CEO Tony Hayward.

Sinkhole Has Biblical Precedent BeliefNet's Mark Herringshaw quotes Psalm 46:2: “Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea.” To be fair, Herringshaw also urges prayer for the victims of the sinkhole as well as the tropical storm that caused it.

The Best Car to Jump a Sinkhole Car blog Jalopnik's Matt Hardigree asks, “Assuming you were airlifted in to the country with a vehicle of your choice — what would you take and what would your strategy be for avoiding death?” His answer: “Personally, I'd pick a Caterham R500 to traverse the dangerous streets of Guatemala City. The insane 2.0-liter Ford-powered roadster has classic Caterham agility to avoid sinkholes, 520 hp-per-ton power to speed away from an earth opening beneath your feet, a low 1,115-lb weight to help leap over any obstacles, and an open roof in case you can't do any of those things and need to bail in a hurry.”

via 5 Amazing Facts About the Guatemala City Sinkhole | The Atlantic Wire.

“Hey Dad, I’m riding a turtle.”

My 13-year-old daughter, Abby, was helping clear some of the weeds from our pond and was calling out to me while standing neck deep in weedy water.

I glanced over at her smiling face from where I was lifting out clumps of weeds. The claim didn’t make much sense to me and I figured this was going to be some kind of joke: “Nah, you’re not riding a turtle.”

“Well I’m standing on its back and it’s moving.”

“It’s probably a rock.”

“How much will you give me if it’s a turtle?” she persisted.

“I’ll give you five bucks.” I was starting to think maybe she was really riding a turtle.

“If you’re really on a snapping turtle you’d probably better just swim away, those things have a bite.”

“I really want to catch him. Bring over a bucket so I can throw him in it when I get him.”

I waded over with a medium-sized bucket.

“That’s not big enough.”

I waded back with five gallon bucket. Abby paused. “What are you doing, Abby?”

“Praying.”

The next moment Abby went down under water while I stood with the bucket at the ready.

She came up with a huge snapping monster which she quickly pitched into the bucket.

We took this beast onto shore and surveyed him as he easily snapped off finger-thick sticks with lightning strikes from his powerful jaws.

I was picturing my daughter’s fingers.

“Abby, next time you’re riding a turtle just swim away. But, I have to say, I believe that’s a $10 turtle.”

Snapping turtles are just one of the dangerous creatures folks encounter in east Tennessee. However snappers almost never bother you unless you’re actively bothering them.

Let’s take a brief look at the other potentially dangerous creatures you might encounter around the woods, streams, ponds and backyards of our area.

Let’s start with snakes. There are four kinds of venomous snakes in Tennessee: northern and southern copperhead, timber rattlesnake, western cottonmouth and the western pigmy rattlesnake.

The copperhead is a relatively shy snake, but they account for the most reported bites each year in Tennessee.

Roughly 50 percent of their bites are dry bites; meaning that when they bite, no venom is injected.

Fatal bites are exceedingly rare in Tennessee. Although there are 50,000 deaths worldwide from venomous snakebites reported each year, only 12-15 are in the United States.

Within Tennessee, only four deaths from venomous snakebites have been reported since 1960.

If bitten, the best approach is to try to remain calm and get to a local emergency room. Remove all jewelry around or above the bite area, since there will probably be swelling. But do not apply a tourniquet, nor make cuts around the bite, nor try to suck out the venom. These are outdated approaches that can cause delay, tissue damage, and infection. Don’t try to capture the snake since anti venom is the same for all Tennessee snakes and trying to capture the snake only increases the chances of a second snakebite victim. On average, bites from copperheads result in a week of pain, eleven days of extremity swelling, and two weeks of missed work.

Moving to the smaller culprits, there are two spiders of concern: the black widow and the brown recluse. The black widow is black with a telltale yellow or red hourglass marking on its underside. They are often found in basements, woodpiles and rock walls. Symptoms of a bite may include profuse sweating, nausea, vomiting, headache, and muscle spasms.

The brown recluse hides out in unused shoes, attics, closets and boxes. Its venom destroys tissue. Pain may occur at the bite site six to eight hours afterwards. At 48 hours, there may be itching, redness, blisters, and then a dark crust may form at the bite site followed by sloughing off of some tissue. A visit to the doctor would be wise after a bite from either of these two venomous spiders.

Tennessee is also home to two species of scorpion, the southern unstriped scorpion and the introduced striped Scorpion. Rocky hillsides, rock or brick walls, crawl spaces, and log piles are favorite scorpion habitats. The sting of these scorpions is considered mild. The sensation is a sharp pain that usually lasts for 15 to 20 minutes.

What about fish? The dorsal and pectoral fins of many species of catfish, particularly the small mad toms, have venomous spines that can inflict painful wounds, though generally not life threatening.

Then, of course, there are the red and the black fire ants, bees, wasps, and hornets.

If you should get bitten or stung by any of these creatures, be sure to get immediate medical attention if any of the following occur: Difficulty breathing, swelling of the lips or throat, slurred speech, chest pain, faintness, rapid heart rate, nausea, cramping, vomiting, or a known venomous snakebite.

In spite of all these worrisome critters, the outdoors is still hard to beat here in east Tennessee. So enjoy it! But keep your eyes open.

via Dangerous creatures could ruin a summer.

He never got to pop the question.

Richard Butler was hiking up a North Carolina mountain with girlfriend Bethany Lott – and an engagement ring in his pocket – when lightning struck.

“God, baby, look how beautiful it is,” Lott said of the mountain vista just before the bolt hit her.

Those turned out to be her last words.

Butler, who was also hit, said “everything went black” and when he opened his eyes again “she was laying a few feet away.”

“I crawled to her,” he told the Asheville Citizen Times newspaper. “I did CPR for probably 15 minutes, and the whole time was trying her cell phone, but I couldn't get anything out.”

Later, when the paramedics arrived, a badly burned Butler used what remained of his strength to perform one last act of love.

“I put the ring on her finger while the EMTs were working on her,” he told the newspaper. “They are listing me as her fiancé in the obituaries.”

Butler, 30, and Lott, 25, both of Knoxville, Tenn., had set off for the summit of Max Patch Bald on Friday when it started to rain.

“I picked that spot because she actually said she would like to get married there,” Butler told a local TV station. “She absolutely loved the outdoors.”

And Lott was not deterred by the stormy weather.

“She hiked thousands of miles and spent a couple of years in Utah just hiking,” Butler's mother, Janet Delaney, said.

Then lightning bolts creased the sky, and one of them hit the lovebirds.

“I was spun 180 degrees and thrown several feet back,” Butler said. “My legs turned to Jell-o, my shoes were smoking, and the bottom of my feet felt like they were on fire.”

Another Knoxville couple raced over and also tried to revive the doomed hiker.

“They stood on the top of the hill doing what they could for probably 20 minutes until the rescuers got there,” said Butler, who suffered third-degree burns.

But there was no saving Lott, who was to be buried at a Tennessee cemetery on Tuesday with a view of the mountains she loved in the distance.

On his blog, Butler called himself “the luckiest man alive.”

“I was given a life with the most amazing woman in the world,” he wrote Tuesday. “I was loved more completely than I ever dreamed possible.”

Lott may be gone, the grieving would-be groom wrote, but “I have gained a constant companion in the wind.”

via Bethany Lott struck by lightning, moments before boyfriend Richard Butler was to propose.

Hot Springs, NC– A woman was killed when she was struck by lightning while hiking on Max Patch Bald in Madison County, authorities confirmed to the Asheville Citizen-Times.

Capt. Levi Roullard of the Spring Creek Fire Department said, the victim was struck during a thunderstorm around 4:30pm Friday as she hiked in an open area on U.S. Forest Service land which is about 15 miles northwest of Hot Springs near the Tennessee line.

The woman, whose name wasn't released to the newspaper, was dead with emergency workers arrived on the scene. A Madison County dispatcher said she was from out of state.

Capt. Roullard said that if you're caught outside during a thunderstorm, it's best to stay out of open areas and seek a lower elevation if possible. Also avoid getting under tall trees.

Investigators have not said who called for help or if the woman was hiking alone.

via Woman Struck, Killed By Lightning While Hiking | digtriad.com | Triad, NC | Local.

Link

Gobierno de Guatemala/FlickrThe now-world-famous Guatemala City sinkhole, which opened following a recent tropical storm, is estimated to be 66 feet wide, 100 feet deep, and perfectly cylindrical in shape. It must be seen to be believed. Here are five amazing facts about the sinkhole and, as a bonus at the bottom, three not-so-amazing “facts.”

• Might Still Get Bigger Politics Daily’s Carl Franzen warnsthe sinkhole may be “increasing in size and appetite.” He writes, “The phenomenon of rapidly growing sinkholes is well documented, but the Guatemala case stands out precisely because the sinkhole is so enormous and in such an inconvenient location, at a major intersection. The sinkhole’s potential growth is also problematic for repair efforts, as no work can be begun safely until the sinkhole has reached an equilibrium and stops…well, sinking, which could take up to several more days.”

• Could Be Caused by Sped-Up Geological Erosion Geologists David Bercovici and Mark Brandon tell Vanity Fair, “Sinkholes often appear in areas where the rock below the ground is limestone, carbonate rock, salt beds, or rocks that can be naturally dissolved by circulating ground water. As the sediment dissolves, caves and air pockets develop underneath the land surface. If there is not enough support for the land above the spaces, then the ground collapses and results in a sinkhole. Natural depressions that collect water and man-made structures such as houses and streets with poor drainage are especially vulnerable to sinkholes. Heavy rainfall, like that from Tropical Storm Agatha, only accelerates the process.”

• Sewer System May Be to Blame The Christian Science Monitor’s Sara Miller Llana reports, “The mayor Guatemala City, Álvaro Arzú, said there may be a relationship between the sinkhole and the city’s 36-year old drainage system that runs 50-60 meters below the surface. He said, according to 21st Century, a Guatemala daily newspaper, that the country’s disaster response agency, CONRED, is using an X-ray like machine to study the earth in the area of the sinkhole.” Other reports cite “sewer or municipal water lines [that] might have eroded the ground and led to the collapse.”

• This Has Happened Before The Christian Science Monitor’s Ezra Fieser recounts, “In 2007, three people were killed when a 100-foot deep sinkhole opened in another Guatemala City neighborhood. More than 1,000 people were evacuated from the area.” Carl Franzen adds, “Just last month, asinkhole opened in Quebec swallowing an entire house and killing the family inside. In the U.S., they are most common in the southern states, particularly Texas, Alabama, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee and Florida, where hundreds of smaller sinkholes have already been reported this year alone.”

• How We Can Fix It Politics Daily’s Carl Franzen explains three options. (1) Excavate and Filter; (2) Remediate and Cap Grout; (3) Underpin. That last one comes from “Sinkhole attorneys Marshall Thomas Burnett, a firm specializing in filing claims for those whose properties are affected by the appearance of sinkholes.” Click through for descriptions of each process.

3 Not-So-Amazing Sinkhole ‘Facts’

• You Can Throw Stuff in It Death and Taxes blogger Matt Kiebus helpfully contributes “fun stuff to toss in” the sinkhole. His 12-item list includes such throwables as Miller Lite bottles and BP CEO Tony Hayward.

• Sinkhole Has Biblical Precedent BeliefNet’s Mark Herringshaw quotes Psalm 46:2: “Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea.” To be fair, Herringshaw also urges prayer for the victims of the sinkhole as well as the tropical storm that caused it.

• The Best Car to Jump a Sinkhole Car blog Jalopnik’s Matt Hardigree asks, “Assuming you were airlifted in to the country with a vehicle of your choice — what would you take and what would your strategy be for avoiding death?” His answer: “Personally, I’d pick a Caterham R500 to traverse the dangerous streets of Guatemala City. The insane 2.0-liter Ford-powered roadster has classic Caterham agility to avoid sinkholes, 520 hp-per-ton power to speed away from an earth opening beneath your feet, a low 1,115-lb weight to help leap over any obstacles, and an open roof in case you can’t do any of those things and need to bail in a hurry.”

Link

This is an old article, but a very interesting one that explains how a growing human population leads to more wildlife attacks.

Annmarie Campbell lived in Tennessee, but she grew up in central Florida, and she had vacationed before in the rustic two-bedroom cabin on a creek in Florida’s Ocala National Forest. Two weeks ago, she was there again with a few members of her extended family. That Sunday the aspiring artist, 23, slipped into the water to snorkel her way back to the cabin. A few minutes later, her former stepfather’s wife Jackie Barrett left the sandbar where they had been sunning themselves and followed Campbell. The young woman was nowhere to be found. Barrett grabbed a kayak and paddled downstream in search of her. No luck. So Barrett headed back toward the cabin–to find her husband Mark and a family friend frantically gouging at the eyes of an 11 1/2-ft. alligator and prying at its jaws, firmly clamped on Campbell’s upper body. By the time the creature finally let go, it was too late. Campbell was dead, with massive head trauma and lungs filled with water.

The incident would have been shocking by itself. But it was not the only one. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission records an average of about seven alligator attacks every year, yet they are rarely fatal: since 1948, only 17 humans had been confirmed killed by the huge reptiles. But in the five days leading up to Campbell’s death, two other women had been partly eaten by alligators. Three deadly assaults in the space of a week seemed like too much of a coincidence. Floridians, who tend to be casual about their state reptile, were suddenly hypervigilant to a danger that seemed to be lurking in every body of freshwater bigger than a bathtub. Calls to hotlines skyrocketed, and all over the state people were asking themselves what could possibly be going on.

The circumstances of each death offered no obvious clues. They happened in different parts of the state: Yovy Suarez Jimenez, 28, was killed in Sunrise, just north of Miami, and Judy Cooper, 43, was found 20 miles north of St. Petersburg. Although nobody witnessed either attack, authorities believe that Jimenez was sitting at the edge of a canal, dangling her feet in the water, when she was seized by an alligator and dragged in. And there is no reason to believe that Cooper was swimming.

In short, the unusual spate of fatal attacks may have been a ghastly coincidence–but that doesn’t mean they were entirely random. According to wildlife experts, several factors may have recently upped the odds of alligator aggression. For one thing, this is the time of year when the reptiles emerge from cold-weather quiescence and enter the mating season. That makes them more territorial and more aggressive than normal. Beyond that, the state has been experiencing an extended drought over the past several years, shrinking the animals’ natural habitat and forcing them to forage in areas where humans have created ponds, canals and swimming pools.

There are also more alligators around today than ever because of the reptile’s 20-year stint on the federal endangered-species list. Back in 1967, when it was formally listed, trapping for meat and hides had reduced the alligator population in Florida to no more than 300,000. Now there are 1 million to 2 million. At the same time, the state’s human population has exploded. As a result, development is pushing into wetlands that were once pure, alligator-friendly wilderness, and agriculture is draining huge swaths of alligator habitat. Everglades National Park is just one-seventh the size of the historic Everglades swampland, forcing the animals to share territory that humans consider their own.

It’s a familiar story. In the American West, mountain lions are getting squeezed, and lethal attacks by the big cats have become more frequent. In the Northeast, it is black bears, foraging in suburban backyards. In Florida, it’s alligators. And unlike cougars and bears, which are rarely spotted, alligators are everywhere and are almost always docile. Along a path just inside Everglades park’s Shark Valley entrance, for example, alligators loll along the bank of the adjacent canal, as uninterested in the people as they are in the bugs that swirl overhead. Yet park employees have seen tourists run over alligators with bikes and wheelchairs, throw rocks at them and stab them with sticks. People even put kids on the backs of the creatures for a gator photo op. “The alligator isn’t the problem. It’s humans,” says park naturalist Maria Thomson. “We’re pushing them to the limit.”

And every so often, they push back. Whenever an alligator kills a human, the state sends out trappers to catch and kill it. The animals responsible for the three recent attacks have all been trapped. Parts of Jimenez were found in the belly of a 9 1/2-ft. alligator, Cooper’s arm and hand were recovered from an 8 1/2-footer, and Campbell’s killer was identified by scratches around its eye. But it’s not as if those particular alligators were more dangerous than most, and destroying them won’t prevent future attacks. Officials say the best ways to avoid becoming dinner for an alligator are not to feed the animals, which can lead them to lose their natural wariness; to stay away from the water’s edge at dusk and dawn, when the creatures tend to hunt; and to be generally wary in and around the water. “A little gator common sense,” says state-certified trapper Todd Hardwick, “takes you a long way.”

Even so, people are still going to run afoul of alligators. And while three deaths in a week establish a benchmark of horror that probably won’t be repeated soon, encounters between alligators and people are bound to increase. “We’re putting our lives on the line,” says Hardwick, “so you can have a safe backyard.”

Link

BLACK MOUNTAIN — A Black Mountain woman suffered minor injuries trying to get her dog away from a bear and two cubs that wandered into her yard Sunday, wildlife officials said.

Gaynell Lumsden was in her garage at Great Aspen Lane when the bears came into her yard about 8:30 p.m. Her small dog went after the bears, and when Lumsden tried to get her dog away, she was swatted by the mother bear.

Lumsden was treated at Mission Hospital and released late Sunday. Her dog, which was also slapped by the bear, did not suffer major injuries, officials said.

“I would not call it a bear attack, but a bear incident,” said Mike Carraway, a wildlife biologist with the North Carolina Wildlife Commission.

“It was just a mother bear defending her cubs. If it had been the bear taking aggressive action, the injuries would have been much more serious. The bear was defending its space is my take,” Carraway said.

Mother bears are not necessarily more dangerous than others, but they can be more aggressively defensive when their cubs are small at this time of year. “Later in the summer, when the cubs can run faster and climb, the mothers won’t be so protective,” Carraway said.

Bears also react instinctively to dogs, even small ones barking at them. “Dogs and bears don’t mix well,” he said.

Bears are commonly seen around the neighborhood outside Black Mountain, which was developed next to the pristine Asheville Watershed, according to neighbor Lyon Williams. “We’ve had bears break into houses. You can’t have a low-hanging bird feeder or a trash can out on the street. We have trash containers that we have to chain up.”

Bear incidents or sightings have exploded from 1993 when only 13 complaints were received around Asheville and the counties west of Buncombe, Haywood and Madison. In 2008, the commission received 302 bear reports from that district.

“This has been a fairly normal year” so far in 2009, Carraway said.

More sightings occur as more developments are built around the mountains. Humans moving into the mountains don’t necessarily chase animals away, but have actually led to an increase in the bear population since hunting is prohibited near the new homes, Carraway said. “You have all this little bear sanctuaries popping up,” he said.

In 2005, there were 4,000 bears estimated to live in Western North Carolina, according to the N.C. Wildlife Commission.

State wildlife officials can’t trap nuisance bears and relocate them, Carraway said. “We have nowhere to put them. We have Asheville city officials ask if we can’t take the bears and dump them up in the Asheville Watershed, but the watershed is saturated with bears. They would just come back down on Montreat and neighborhoods like this one.”

Warren Wilson College public safety officers issued an email alert last week, warning of an increase of bear sightings around campus and for students and staff to take precautions, said Ben Anderson, a college spokesman. “We always have some sightings during the summer, but we’re definitely seeing an increase.”

Link

Sinkholes Threaten Clarksville Homes

14-Foot Hole Threatens House’s Foundation

Reported by Alan Frio

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Some Middle Tennessee neighborhoods have been dealing with flooding issues after repeated storms this month.

 

Video: Massive Sinkholes Threaten Homes

 

One Clarksville neighborhood not only had high water, but massive sinkholes are threatening their homes. 

After heavy rains fell on Saturday morning, Rick Thomas of Monterey Place spotted a 14-foot deep hole on the side of his house that is threatening his home’s foundation

“It leaves you kind of numb,” said Thomas.

 

On the same day, Thomas found another sinkhole in the front of his home. He said this is something he has been dealing with for the last 22 years. 

Thomas is not the only one in the neighborhood with sinkhole problems, there are depressions in the ground everywhere in the area. Three other homeowners said they have sinkholes. 

Ivy Roberts’ property is right next door to Thomas, and she has the same problems. 

Roberts bought her home 10 months ago and said she was never told of the sinkhole problems in this neighborhood. 

“We took all the money we had and bought this home because we lost our other home in east Tennessee by fire. We got the money for the house, came here and bought this, and now this is gone,” said Roberts. 

Decades of runoff from heavy rains has undermined the ground. 

Resident Jerry Holt’s home flooded on Saturday. He said his back yard looked like a lake with water rushing into his house. 

“I bought shelving in the garage and everything is a foot and a half off the floor, because I know if the water comes in, I have 30 minutes to get everything up off the floor,” said Holt. 

Whenever heavy rains are predicted, most residents said they get little sleep worrying about flooding and sinkholes. 

“It’ll keep me up all night worrying what I’m going find here in the morning,” said Thomas.

Link

NWS confirms 2 tornado touchdowns in E. Tenn.

MORRISTOWN (WATE) — The National Weather Service in Morristown has confirmed that two tornadoes touched down in East Tennessee during severe storms on Friday, May 8. 

The first was in Scott County, five miles south of Huntsville near the Fairview community. 

The EF-2 tornado produced 135 mph winds, uprooting trees and causing a cell phone tower to collapse.

The second confirmed EF-2 tornado was in Claiborne County, near 192 Cole Road in New Tazewell.

That tornado produced 110 mph winds and touched down at the top of a hill and hit one home, taking off its roof and one side of the house. It also destroyed two barns across the street. 

Link

Lightning strikes fishing boat in Kentucky Lake area

Eddie Croy points to where lightning struck the boat that he and John Bridges (left) were in Friday morning. The men were fishing near Big Sandy when a heavy rain began. When they tried to make it back to Buchanan Resort, the boat was struck. Neither man was injured, and the boat was not severely damaged. —Staff photo by Dave Phillips No one hurt in incident

By DAVE PHILLIPS
P-I Staff Writer

Published: Tuesday, May 5, 2009 9:40 AM CDT

Two fishermen from the Memphis area had quite a scare in Henry County Friday morning when the boat they were in was struck by lightning.

John Bridges and Eddie Croy were in the water near Buchanan Resort starting at 6 a.m. Friday to practice for a fishing tournament they were entered in Saturday. They were somewhere around Big Sandy when the rain began, and, while attempting to return to the resort, the front of their boat was struck by lightning.

“We were trying to decide if we should come to (the resort), and Eddie gave me the sign to go ahead,” Bridges said. “As soon as he pointed his finger, the lightning went ‘pow’ and hit the front of the boat. It shut everything down (on the boat), and we just sat there looking at each other.”

Incredibly, neither occupant suffered any injuries aside from some ringing ears. Croy said two hours later his left ear was still ringing.

It’s hard to place blame on anybody for the bad weather, but Croy believes he may have had a bit to do with it. Another man at the marina told them he thought it would be a nice day Friday, and Croy was a bit upset when he heard that.

“I did a little dance, saying ‘I hope it rains, because my fish bite better in the rain,’” he said.

“I was expecting a light shower, not the storms that we got.”

Despite the scare, the men were still intent to fish.

“(People) should still be out there fishing,” Croy said. “Just don’t do it in a thunderstorm.”

The boat suffered minor damage to a few different parts. Bridges estimated that repairs would cost only about $200.

“We’re just lucky,” Bridges said. “If we would’ve been in an aluminum boat, we’d be dead.”

Elsewhere Friday, lightning struck a tree near Vincent Implements, 1385 Highway 69 northwest of Paris, around 4:25 p.m.

The tree caught fire from the lightning strike, and the Paris Fire Department fought the fire for about 30 minutes.

No damage or injuries were reported.

There was also a large tree uprooted by an apparent lightning strike near the Paris Fishing Club on Jones Bend Road.

Link

Heavy rainfall causes creek flooding in Tenn. county, tornado watches issued for northern Ala.

By Associated Press

6:15 PM CDT, May 2, 2009

AETNA, Tenn. (AP) — Authorities say a dozen residents in a central Tennessee county have been evacuated from their homes because of flooding caused by heavy rain while tornado watches and warnings have been issued for northern Alabama.

Janet Kelley of the Hickman County Emergency Management Agency in Tennessee says flat-bottomed rescue boats were used Saturday morning to retrieve residents in Aetna, located about 80 miles southwest of Nashville.

Kelley says the flooding later receded and many of the residents were able to return to their homes. She says some county bridges remained closed because of the weather on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the National Weather Service has issued a tornado warning for Fayette and Lamar counties in western Alabama.

Link

Sinkhole forces closure of Thomas Walker pool

By Wes Bunch

JONESVILLE — The possible danger presented by an active sinkhole near the Thomas Walker High School swimming pool resulted in the Lee County Board of Supervisors voting to keep the facility closed indefinitely.

On a motion by Supervisor Larry Moseley, the board voted unanimously Tuesday night to delay opening the pool until a geological study of the area and an assessment of the structure’s integrity can be made.

The board came to its decision after hearing a report on the situation from Bobby Lane, a professional engineer and president and CEO of the Lane Group Inc., who deemed the pool unsafe for use until the issues could be addressed.

“The cavity of the hole … is not very large as far as what you can see from the surface,” Lane said. “But after further investigation and a closer look at this hole, it seems to indicate we have an active sinkhole. The cavity is much larger underneath the concrete apron (of the pool area). … The apron is beginning to crack and give way.”

The throat of the sinkhole is roughly 3 to 4 feet wide and is estimated to be about 10 feet deep, although it could be much larger and actually extend under the pool itself.

That could cause a massive failure, Lane said, which could possibly lead to the collapse of the sidewalk, or even worse, the pool itself.

“As long as the depression is here and not corrected, it is a safety issue,” he said. “I think the county needs to look at stabilizing the soil and reinforcing the pool prior to opening it to make sure it is safe for people to use it. With water and the (area’s) karst topography, there can be a pretty rapid failure (of the sinkhole).”

Lane said it would also need to be determined if other sinkholes were in the area and weigh the costs and benefits of the project before proceeding.

Sinkholes are natural depressions or holes in the surface topography caused by the removal of soil or bedrock by water. Mainly found in areas with karst topography, they can range in size from a few feet to hundreds of feet in width and depth.

The closure leaves the county with only one public swimming pool in Pennington Gap, since the town of Jonesville’s pool was previously closed due to leaks and an expensive repair bill.

Board Chairman Carl Bailey, who represents the district the pool is located in, said it was a tough choice to make because activities for children and families in that remote part of the county are limited anyway. But in the end, he said it was the right one.

“It’s safety first, and we have to make sure the kids are safe because we don’t want anything to happen to them,” Bailey said. “It’s not worth opening the pool if someone gets hurt. One death isn’t worth a swimming pool.”

There is still a possibility the pool could be opened before the summer ends, Bailey said, but that’s if the evaluations turn out better than expected.

“It’s bad, but hopefully we can get some information together, and if everything goes good maybe we can get it open — even if it’s late,” he said. “That’s better than nothing at all.”

Link

Some interesting advice here! Not sure how “official” any of the advice is, but it’s a fun read.

What’s the best way to do away with a bear if it attacks you when you don’t have a big rifle along?

I am going to go deer hunting up north this November in a big woods that always has tons of bear tracks in it. I asked my pa what I should do if one of those bears gets hungry and starts drooling on my boots while I’m hunting. He says that a bear’s heart beats so slow that it doesn’t pay to shoot it in the heart and that he heard that a bullet from a .22 won’t make it through a bear’s skull. I don’t think that I’ll have any problems with a bear as I’ll be with other people, but now I’m curious as to what to do in such a situation.

I deer hunt with a Savage 30-30 … pretty small and old, but it gets the job done, & I would never trade it in for anything! The clip can carry 3 bullets; so, I can have 4 bullets in there at a time. One for each kneecap on the bear, right?

I haven’t been bear hunting which is why I have no idea about this stuff, and I’m sure that bear hunters use much bigger rifles, but what does one do while carrying only a small rifle during a bear attack?

 

20 Answers »

1. If you’re entering bear territory, you should make loud, consistent noises the entire time as you’re walking around, so as not to startle them. This gives bears a chance to move away from the noise source. When bears are startled, that’s when they’re most aggressive and deadly.

   If you DO come across a bear standing on his hind legs – that’s when he’s in attack mode – I’ve heard that you should crap a big load in your pants. Seriously. It supposedly drives them away. You DON’T want to attack with a small gun – it will only piss the bear off more.

   Comment by Dien — April 22, 2009 @ 7:12 am

2. use what you have

   Comment by hill bill y — April 22, 2009 @ 7:12 am

3. You should pack some of the bear sprays that are sold at local sporting good stores. Also I was in Alaska a couple of years ago and was told that any form of scent will attract them so no scented deordant, purfume or cologne. In an attack you are susposed to lie still in a curled up position. A 30-30 can stop a bear, especially a black bear but a grizzly, brown or kodiak, you’re on your own lol

   Comment by William — April 22, 2009 @ 7:12 am

4. Get some of the Hornady leverevolution ammo for your 30-30, if you’re a good shot with it, and can hit the bear in the eye (the bone tissue is thinnest in the ocular socket) this ammo will kill the bear with 1 shot.

   Comment by boker_magnum — April 22, 2009 @ 7:12 am

5. Id shoot it with the 30-30. If its a black bear, it will probly kill it it anyway, but a Grizzly would be a different story. The idea of making noise while hunting is retarded. How are you supposed to see der when you are scaring off bears? If you hit it in the head, it will more than likely kill it.

   Comment by Aaron — April 22, 2009 @ 7:12 am

6. better go with a 338 win mag thats what the alaska dnr said will pud dawn a kodick grizzy. and thats what i got and i going 2 get a s&w500 mag the stroungert handgun in the would

   Comment by joshuagertsch — April 22, 2009 @ 7:12 am

7. if its a black bear fight back and bite it, but if it is a grizzly or brown like in Alaska kiss your butt good by

   Comment by fishslayer1986 — April 22, 2009 @ 7:12 am

8. I’ve seen this show, and if you are hiking without a weapon, get on the ground and cover your vital areas (head. neck)
   This makes the bear think that you are not a threat to the bear. Good luck out there.

   Comment by surfer dude — April 22, 2009 @ 7:12 am

9. Black bear will try to avoid you, they are more afraid of you than you are of them*.. You could always bare your teeth at them, it worked for Daniel Boone*…

   Comment by dca2003311@yahoo.com — April 22, 2009 @ 7:12 am

10. Crap your pants???!!!!
    First off carrying that bear spray is the best idea here. While carrying a second large caliber rifle is unpractical what about a handgun? Six shots from a a .44 mag into a 250 pound black bear’s chest will witout a doubt drop it. If can’t buy or access a heavy revolver than aim at his head with the 30-30. It will kill it. Black bear are not that big a .30 size round won’t penetrate it’s skull. But the bear spray is best cheapest most proven way to go.

    Comment by kyle h — April 22, 2009 @ 7:12 am

11. The .30-30 has killed more Black bear and deer than any other caliber. Although it is not my first choice if I am in bear country and I find myself in a predicament with a bear and its all I have, I’ll try for a head shot. With your Savage you get four tries (one round in the chamber and three in the magazine). And your Dad is right, bears can absorb a lot of lead so body shots may not drop him fast enough.

    Lot’s of hunters carry .44 Magnum revolvers as backup in bear country. The .44 Mag. is not better than a .30-30 carbine, so there you have it.

    Good luck and happy hunting.

    H

    Comment by H — April 22, 2009 @ 7:12 am

12. I wouldn’t worry about it too much to be honest,I have seen black bears while hunting where I live in MI,they have always beat feet the opposite way,and although I have no expierence with the Grizzly or Kodiak,I would probably take a sidearm if i am hunting in the Grizzly area,but in black bear areas,no problem,if a sidearm is unavailable I would buy a bigger rifle I suppose.

    Comment by Boris859 — April 22, 2009 @ 7:12 am

13. remember that all wild animals (unless they are rabid or starving) will run away before they attack. but as every hunter should know, bear will attack if you get between them and their cubs, or between food/water. and just like all other animals, if you give it no other escape rout, it will attack.
    now, for your question:
    people use the .30/30 win for black bear withing 100 yards, whether you will believe this is another matter. if i ever hunt where i know that there is a possibility that i will encounter dangerous animals like Kodiak bear i will be hunting with a buddy that has a gun or by myself with a revolver. don’t go for body shots, as bear can absorb bullets like nothing, but if you but two in its head, it will go down.
    when I’m 21, i will be getting my concealed carry permit and a pistol, somewhere in the .38, .40, .357 or .45 ACP area. nothing smaller than a .38.
    good luck hope you get the deer you want this year.

    Comment by burnzwater — April 22, 2009 @ 7:12 am

14. if you aren’t using a ” big” rifle, then you better have a “big” back-up revolver, like a .44 magnum. also, bear spray and know how to take the safety off it and use it in a hurry. especially, keep a good look out while field dressing your deer or better yet, have a friend with you to look out while you field dress your deer. in many bear areas, they will come running to the sound of your rifle because they have become conditioned to know the sound of a gun may mean an easy meal for them.

    Comment by bghoundawg — April 22, 2009 @ 7:12 am

15. your 30-30 deer rifle is also a good black bear gun.
    shoot a bear in the same place you shoot deer, in the heart or head a 30-30 will do the job just fine. as for the 44 mag pistol its pretty marginal. here’s the ballistics. 30-30 150 or 170 grain =more than 1600 ft. lbs. energy .44 mag pistol 7 1/5 in barrel 240 grain bullet = 971 ft lbs energy. use the same bullets for black bear as you do for deer. they probably wont exit as they are made to expand & dump all their energy inside the animal so you wont ruin the hide with a big exit wound.
    if your deer hunting in brown bear country a 338 would be a more appropriate deer rifle or at a minimum a 30-06 with controled expansion bullets, 180 gr. in the chamber for deer, 220 gr. in the magazine for back up. dont take a 30-30 into brown bear country they dont have enough penetration for grizzly.

    Comment by crash — April 22, 2009 @ 7:12 am

16. We usually carry a big Knife as well as a firearm. Big guy + Big knife + Bear = Bloody mess = Hopefully dead Bear.
    We of course live in the land of Daniel Boone who happened to kill bears with a knife. If he can do it ,we sure can , Right?

    Comment by dirtydan2 — April 22, 2009 @ 7:12 am

17. S&W 460 or 500 as a back up pistol. Practicing running and short sprints may help….lol

    Comment by Big D — April 22, 2009 @ 7:12 am

18. 30 30 is plenty for blackbear, also you can get bear pepper spray so you wont have to kill in self defense hopefully

    Comment by tater — April 22, 2009 @ 7:12 am

19. Wear Sneakers,,,,you can’t outrun a Bear,,,,,You just have to Outrun Your Pa.

    Comment by Mad Dog — April 22, 2009 @ 7:12 am

20. I had no gun and saw some black bears in Tennessee. I had watched a show about a man (I can’t recall his name) who studied bears. He said that sometims they get very juvinile and frisky. When the begin to menace you, he said to throw your arms over your head and yell at them.
    So I tried this, I yelled jibberish like I was at some pentecostal sunday meeting. This confused the bear and gave us both a chance to think about a different situation…”I think I’ll go over there, now.” He also said (and it makes sense to me) never to lay on the ground. Bears are omnivores and do eat carrion. I won’t sit still and die without giving the bear “what-for” !
    I would honor the bear but if it came down between us and I had my .45 I would aim for the eye. The eyes are also good for other situations. Most battles will end with a gouged out eye.

Link

Be sure to click through to view a video.

Snakes menace hikers as weather warms

Cottonmouth snakes pose hazard for hikers

Researchers are hunting cottonmouths, also known as water moccasins. (NBC News) From NBC News As the weather begins to warm up, many of nature’s creatures are coming out of hibernation. And the world’s only aquatic pit viper has a very bad reputation. Researchers in Tennessee are hunting cottonmouths, also known as water moccasins. They’ve been tracking 60 western cottonmouths through a Tennessee swamp. In the fall, the snakes leave the water to hibernate in rocky bluffs nearby. The snakes have to cross a paved nature trail to reach their winter dens, pavement that’s warm and comfortable. “You do see cottonmouths and copperheads up here sunning and getting warm and when I see families letting their children run ahead of them, I always stop and say you need to keep them with you because they [snakes] are present here. There are poisonous snakes on this trail,” said Friends of the Trail’s Tom Salter. Cottonmouths have not bitten anyone there, but that hasn’t kept people from killing them. Wildlife officials tell hikers to let them be. The snakes are hibernating now, but they’ll be back, crossing the nature trail to return to the swamp.

Link

Sheep get zapped, too

Posted: 04/18/2009 05:34:22 PM PDT

Question: What’s the lightning-season lesson to be learned from “The Shocking Death of Old Pitt”?

Answer: Few people realize that lightning also inflicts countless deadly hits on other species, says climatologist Randy Cerveny in “Freaks of the Storm.” Strikes to lakes have been known to electrify the water and kill wagonloads of fish for the locals. In 1939, a single strike at the top of Utah’s Pine Canyon killed 835 rain-soaked sheep that had bedded down around a lone tree. Only 15 of the flock survived, as did the sheepherder who slept in his tent.

When a large turkey-buzzard, sky-high over Nashville, Tennessee, exploded in a blinding flash of lightning, it left just “a few black tail feathers that fluttered pathetically to the ground.”

One of the strangest stories involves lightning-famous Benjamin Franklin, who experimented by applying a direct shock to the head of a turkey. When the turkey “died,” the electrocutioner tried to revive it “by repeatedly blowing into its lungs,” whereupon it “ran headlong against the walls.” “Many researchers regard this odd experiment as one of the first cases of artificial respiration being used as treatment after an electric shock.”

Then there was Old Pitt, a world-famous circus elephant which was struck and killed by a violent lightning blast during a Friday matinee in Dillon, Montana. Later, the circus owner had a marker erected over the burial site:

“PITT/ killed on the spot/ by lightning Aug. 6 1943/ while showing with/ Cole Brothers Circus/ Last of the John Robinson/ herd of military elephants/ age 102/ May God Bless Her.”

Link

While Black Bear attacks are incredibly rare, stories like this highlight that caution must still be used when traveling in their domain.

Surviving a bear attack Ohio family returns on anniversary of fatal bear attack on child

William Wright 

Banner Staff Writer 
Sunday, Apr 19, 2009

Susan Cenkus recently returned to the scene where her daughter was killed by a black bear on April 13, 2006. 

She and her children came from Ohio back to the camping area near Benton Falls in the Chilhowee Campground to honor 6-year-old Elora Petrasek, who did not survive the attack. 

As she stood under the waterfall last Wednesday, watching the icy waters tumble and flow, remembering her ever cheerful daughter and the joy they felt on that fatal day, Cenkus said her thoughts turned toward eternity.

“I have a real connection here. This was the place I would go to feel the presence of God. I had taken Elora here many times but I had never taken her to the waterfall — until that day.”

Images of Elora, the sound of her voice, the laughter of that day, was not hard to recall. Cenkus said she even remembers “Two weeks earlier Elora said, ‘mommie I may go to heaven before you.’”

Neither that comment nor the fact Elora was fascinated with animals stood out. Now everything about her has special meaning to her mother.

“Elora was a big animal lover,” said Cenkus. “Most little girls her age were buying Barbie dolls. Not my daughter. She was always buying stuffed animals. She would have veterinarian clinics and she would have all her animals lined up to take care of them. I learned so much from her. She had such a love for life.”

During her visited to the Sunrise Rotary Club Thursday, Cenkus spoke about the horrific day that went beyond sheer terror. 

“That morning we decided we would go up to Chilhowee. My son Christopher was performing at a Lee University program that evening. We drove up to Benton Falls and Elora wanted to go to the waterfall. I wasn’t feeling really well that day,” Cenkus recalls. 

“These are truly the last words I specifically remember Elora saying to me. She said, ‘But mommie I really want to go.’ So we traveled down to the falls. 

“When we got to the falls another couple was there, a man and wife and their two children. As we were scanning down to the creek area I looked up in the foliage and saw a black bear.”

Cenkus said because she had walked that area many times and had never seen a bear, she sensed they needed to leave. 

“I said to the couple I believe we need to get out of here. We immediately started to leave the area. As we were coming up I reached back and grabbed hold of my son Luke, who was only 2 years old.”

Elora was already ahead of everyone and had gotten back under the waterfall, according to Cenkus. 

“I remember looking at her and saying, ‘Come on we need to go.’ I turned around to reach for her hand and we started going up toward the camp.”

Cenkus said as soon as she turned back around the black bear had her son.

“He had his right paw going around my son’s head. I immediately ran toward the bear. I pulled my son from him. When I pulled Luke from the bear, I then looked at the bear. I realized he was staring at me.”

That chilling moment, nearly frozen in time, seemed surreal as a mother stood between a bear and his food, daring to put her life on the line without any hesitation. Cenkus explained that in such an unbelievable moment, “people do what needs to be done.” 

“I remembered thinking, OK what do we do here? Because that bear was staring at me and I knew he was intent on hurting me. The group had come up and around as I went back from the bear. Then the bear attacked me,” she said. 

As the 211-pound bear bit down on her neck, Cenkus said she remembers looking in the family man’s face. It was the look of horror. 

“That’s when I recognized the bear had me,” she said. “I thought, ‘I am not going to survive this but if the bear stays busy with me, the rest will survive.’”

Cenkus said she looked over to the man and yelled, “Save my children.” 

“At that point I said to the Lord, ‘I’m ready to go. Please Lord, let me go out.’ At that point I did lose consciousness.”

Cenkus said she remembers waking up later on the ground thinking what a horrible nightmare she just had.

“Then I recognized it wasn’t a nightmare. Being a nurse I was trying to assess myself — trying to find out what my pulse was. I knew I had lost a lot of blood and needed to get out of there. But I didn’t know how bad I was. I found I was totally unable to do anything whatsoever. 

“I wondered if I should call out for help or just be quiet because I knew help would come. I don’t know how much time elapsed. I had lost so much blood I was coming in and out of consciousness.”

At some point she heard a voice saying, “It’s OK, ma’am. We’re here to help you.”

It was Tennessee State Park Ranger Brad Hamby who was the first one to reach Cenkus. Her daughter was not as fortunate. Since the hike was nearly 2 miles, the speculation was that little Elora was the easiest target for the black bear to chase and catch. 

Word of the unusual bear attack swept the nation until the bear was captured, positively identified by FBI Forensic DNA specialists and finally destroyed.

Cenkus was flown to Erlanger, thankful to have survived such a vicious attack. She spent nine days in intensive care and underwent seven surgeries before being made physically whole again.

“I lost two major blood vessels in the back of my neck. My vertebra was almost torn off. Tendons were severed. My arm was almost torn off. I had stitches all through the back of my head and surgery all around my neck.”

Cenkus said it was truly a miracle that she survived and is forever thankful that she and her son Luke, who also suffered injuries, had such excellent care from Erlanger’s medical team who worked on them.

“When I woke up the first thing I remember thinking is that I know who God is. My help is built on my relationship with Jesus Christ and I hold an amazing sense of hope,” said Cenkus.

She remembers feeling compelled to tell her daughter throughout her short life that if she could not protect her, the Lord will.

“We have the hope of glory,” Cenkus said. “Maybe not in this world but in the world to come. It doesn’t mean we won’t go through perilous times. Sometimes we go through amazing tragedy and trauma in this world. There are so many people who have gone through worse than I have.

“My struggle was trying to understand what happened to my daughter. Who was with my daughter? I knew in my mind that God was with her but I kept struggling with it. That was my struggle with God. 

“Then God spoke to my heart and said, ‘You remember all the times you told Elora if I cannot be with you Jesus would be with you? 

I said, ‘Yes, I remember that.’ He said, ‘Did you believe it?’ I said, ‘Yes I did.’ And in my spirit He said, ‘There’s your answer.’”

Cenkus said the anniversary of her daughter’s death on April 13, led her to look at a corresponding scripture in the Bible — John 4:13. 

She started reading where Jesus told a woman at a well, “Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”

“As I stood under that waterfall (Wednesday) to honor my daughter, I could hear that beautiful water rushing over the mountains,” said Cenkus. “And I thought of the eternal life that is promised us.”

Monte Williams of the U.S. Forestry Service told media representatives the attack was unusual, adding, “Black bears usually don’t attack people.”

There are approximately 1,200 to 1,500 black bears in the Cherokee National Forest, according to officials.

A vide of the Good Friday Murfreesboro, TN tornado. It’s scary.

Link

That’s quite a price tag…

Weather Service: Tornado an E-F4 with 23-mile path

BY MARK BELL • MBELL@DNJ.COM • April 14, 2009

Two confirmed tornadoes that carved separate paths through Murfreesboro and Rutherford County on Friday caused more than $38 million in damage, affected almost 800 homes, killed two, and injured more than 50.

On Monday, the National Weather Service upgraded the tornado that struck Murfreesboro to a category EF-4, with sustained winds near 170 mph. The NWS also confirmed that an EF-1 tornado with winds up to 100 mph hit a small area along Bradyville Pike, just south of Manus Road.

 

Kori Bryant and her 9-week-old infant daughter, Olivia, were killed in the Murfreesboro tornado that NWS surveyors now say had a reach of more than 23 miles with origins in Eagleville — up from an initial estimate of 15 miles and an origin outside Murfreesboro’s western edge.

The latest tornado-related injury report from Rutherford County EMS spokesman Randy White and Middle Tennessee Medical Center spokeswoman Angie Boyd-Chambers indicate that close to 60 people have been treated.

White also reported that preliminary damage estimates have already reached $38.3 million and “may be updated throughout the week.”

According to White, 794 homes have been affected within Rutherford County and Murfreesboro, with 98 of those homes destroyed, “294 homes have major damage and 156 have minor damage … 227 homes were directly affected in some way.”

Final damage assessment reports by Murfreesboro Building and Codes employees indicated that a total of 519 structures were affected within the city limits alone.

Murfreesboro Police Maj. Clyde Adkison said assessors found that a total of 59 homes within the city were destroyed, 182 had major damage, 109 had minor damage and 169 others were “affected.”

Tracking the path

According to National Weather Service warning coordination meteorologist Tom Johnstone, the tornadoes that struck Friday were the 28th and 29th to hit Rutherford County since 1950. The Murfreesboro tornado was the first killer tornado in that period.

“Additional ground surveys of the Murfreesboro tornado indicate that the initial touchdown was just north of the Eagleville community in far southwestern Rutherford County,” Johnstone said, via a press release. “Intermittent tree and roof damage was noted beginning at a residence near the intersection of Kelley Road and Highway 41A.

Link

Tornadoes spotted in Fla. as storm line roars over

By CHRISTINE ARMARIO – 6 hours ago

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — A strong line of storms spawned at least two tornadoes Tuesday as it tore across central Florida, scattering roof shingles, uprooting trees and forcing schools to evacuate children from trailer classrooms.

No injuries were immediately reported and the storms eventually moved offshore. It was the latest round of bad weather to hammer the South after heavy rain and strong winds Monday that hit Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, Kentucky and northern Florida, already reeling from storms and tornados last week.

The National Weather Service was still tallying damage information, but initial reports were that two tornadoes had touched down north of Tampa and two others may have struck in central and east Florida.

Twenty Florida counties were under a tornado watch for much of the day.

“To our knowledge, there’s been no true structure damage and no injuries,” said Jim Martin, Emergency Management Director for Pasco County north of Tampa, where at least one twister was spotted Tuesday morning,

Martin said about 25 homes suffered damage from high winds and one car was flipped over. Students were evacuated from trailer classrooms at some Tampa-area schools.

Emergency management officials in Marion County in north-central Florida received reports of possible tornado sightings, downed power lines and other damage, including one home under a fallen tree. No injuries were reported, a sheriff’s spokeswoman said.

Randi Cecil, 24, was on her porch in the town of Sparr, about 90 miles north of Orlando, when the wind turned gusty and trees started swaying. Then a tree cracked so loud that it sounded like a car crash and smashed into her neighbor’s bedroom.

“It was the most horrible feeling I ever went through,” Cecil said.

Progress Energy spokeswoman Suzanne Grant said 35,000 customers were without power as of noon, mostly in the Ocala area in central Florida and in southern Pasco County, just north of Tampa. The Tampa Electric Company said about 770 customers had lost power.

The storms also passed through the Orlando area, knocking down trees and blowing shingles off roofs, but no significant damage was immediately reported. Orlando International Airport reported delays of up to one hour.

A day after high winds were blamed for toppling trees that killed one person each in Tennessee and Georgia, more blustery conditions were reported across the region.

Atlanta-area crews were still clearing up fallen trees and working to restore power and traffic lights after squalls Monday pushed through Georgia. Thousands of utility customers in Georgia and Alabama were waiting for power to come back on.

Associated Press writers Mike Schneider in Orlando, Mitch Stacy in Tampa and Amanda Thomas in Montgomery, Ala., contributed to this report.

Link

Largest project to study tornadoes to start in May

In what’s described as “the largest attempt in history to study tornadoes,” more than 50 scientists are preparing to hit the road next month to explore the origin, structure and evolution of the killer storms, the National Science Foundation says.

From May 10 to June 13, scientists will focus on the central Great Plains — southern South Dakota, western Iowa, eastern Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, the Texas panhandle and western Oklahoma.

The project, called VORTEX2 — Verification of the Origins of Rotation in Tornadoes Experiment — involves 40 research vehicles, including 10 mobile radars.

This year’s tornado season has been punishing. Today, severe weather swept across much of the South, killing at least two people, toppling trees and cutting power to tens of thousands of homes. More than 92,400 customers still did not have power this afternoon after a strong thunderstorm blew across Alabama, spawning an apparent tornado and wrecking a yacht marina near the Mississippi line. Most of the Florida Panhandle and areas east and southeast of Tallahassee have been under tornado watches or warnings most of the day.

A twister Friday killed a woman and her infant daughter and damaged 500 buildings in Tennessee.

Late Thursday a tornado killed three people in Arkansas.

Link

Storms likely Monday, chance of tornadoes

Strong to severe thunderstorms will threaten West Tennessee again through Monday and into the night.

The National Weather Service office in Memphis predicts a slight chance for severe thunderstorms throughout the Midsouth on Monday as a cold front moves through the area.

Damaging winds, large hail and isolated tornadoes are possible with these storms, with the greatest likelihood concentrated along and east of the Mississippi River.

Monday’s high temperature in Jackson is predicted to reach about 74, with a 70 percent chance of rain. The chance of rain drops to about 60 percent Monday night, with a low of 48.

Tuesday is expected to be mostly cloudy and cooler, with a higher near 60 and a low of 45 degrees Tuesday night.

Wednesday should be sunny and warmer, with temperatures in the high 60s.

The next chance of rain is expected to arrive around Saturday, according to The Weather Channel’s 10-day forecast.

Link

Be sure to click through for images and video.

Rain hope for US wildfire states

Heavy rain this weekend could bring relief to parts of the southern US hit by wildfires, forecasters say.

The blazes have killed three people and destroyed hundreds of homes in Texas and Oklahoma since they ignited on Thursday.

They were fanned by high winds, part of a storm system that has also triggered deadly tornadoes in Tennessee and Arkansas.

At least five people died and about 70 were hurt in two separate tornadoes.

A mother and child were killed when one touched down in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, on Friday.

Officials said it damaged more than 200 homes, and search teams were checking for people trapped under rubble.

Three more people died in Mena, Arkansas, in a tornado late on Thursday.

Other tornadoes and high winds were reported across several states.

State of emergency

The winds have been blamed for driving wildfires that have been burning in Texas and Oklahoma since the middle of the week.

In Texas, a couple were killed and their son injured when their home was engulfed by flame near Montague, north-west of Dallas.

A woman died in another part of the state, officials said, and scores of homes in the Texan towns of Sunset and Stoneburg were charred.

Neighbouring Oklahoma declared a state of emergency in more than 30 counties after fires destroyed more than 160 homes.

A marshal in Midwest City said at least one fire was thought to have been started deliberately.

Forecasters in both states said rain was expected late on Saturday into Sunday, potentially helping to control the raging fires.

Link

Eyewitness accounts of the disaster. Scary stuff.

Tornado survivor: ‘Sounded like 7 freight trains’

By JUANITA COUSINS – 14 minutes ago

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP) — The worst sound Eric Funkhouser said he has ever heard was a 10-second “voom” followed by a man’s screams.

A tornado hit Funkhouser’s home in Murfreesboro, about 30 miles southeast of Nashville, on Friday, part of severe storms that spawned tornadoes across the Southeast that’s been blamed for three deaths and dozens of injuries.

“It sounded like seven freight trains and 22 vacuum cleaners all going at the same time,” Funkhouser said Saturday as he returned to what is left of his home and neighborhood.

Funkhouser ran outside and found his neighbor John Bryant laying in Funkhouser’s front yard, covered with blood and screaming.

“He kept saying that his wife and baby were out there with him and he had to find them,” Funkhouser said.

Twenty minutes later, Funkhouser and other survivors found Bryant’s wife, Kori, dead in the gravel driveway under debris and 9-week-old Olivia Bryant was found dead buckled into her car seat, beneath carpet and a tree.

Family friend Laura Lawrence said Bryant, a self-employed construction worker, had just gotten home on his lunch break. He, his wife and daughter were seeking shelter when the tornado rolled through.

National Weather Service officials say a preliminary report shows the EF3 tornado tore a 15-mile path through the university town of about 100,000 with winds as high as 165 mph. Hundreds of homes were destroyed or damaged and more than 40 people were injured.

John Bryant is in critical condition with a broken back, Lawrence said Saturday, as she gathered the family’s clothes and pictures from their neighbors’ yards.

During a tour of the damaged areas on Saturday, Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen walked past a pile of pink baby clothes topped with the Bryants’ wedding album, paused before yellow and gray tarps marking where the mother and daughter were found and bowed his head.

“My thoughts and prayers are with them. It’s very sad,” Bredesen said.

He then walked through the neighborhood that was hardest hit, listening to survivors share stories of how they hid in bathrooms and pantries.

“I am astonished,” Bredesen said. “Where it hit is very very intense.”

Bredesen said he may request a presidential declaration of emergency after Tennessee Emergency Management Agency officials completely survey the area.

“I want to get all the assistance we possibly can for people,” Bredesen said. “For right now, the community is doing a great job.”

Church members and neighbors joined survivors in cleaning up debris, patching up roofs with blue tarps and sawing tree branches from cars and houses.

Murfreesboro Mayor Tommy Bragg said water is running on generator power but power and gas remain off in the areas worst hit. Code inspectors were going door to door to determine the amount of damage done and whether the homes are destroyed.

They condemned the Funkhousers’ home with a sticker that read “Unsafe. Do not enter or occupy.”

The Bryant’s home, the only wood house on the block, was destroyed and most of the siding was in Funkhouser’s yard.

Churches and utility companies passed out hot dogs, hamburgers, ham sandwiches, chips and water to families and volunteers.

“This is something we have to do because you can’t just look over this damage,” church volunteer Lacie Young said. “We were so blessed and have to share these blessings.”

Rescue teams concluded a 5-hour search Friday night for survivors who may have been trapped in the rubble, but no more victims were found, said Donnie Smith, a spokesman for the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency.

Reports of destruction were widespread across the region Friday, with funnel clouds spotted in Kentucky and Alabama and devastating winds, huge hail and heavy rain reported in several states.

In South Carolina, a driver trying to avoid storm debris in the eastern part of the state was killed Friday, state Emergency Management Division spokesman Derrec Becker said.

Several possible tornadoes were reported in north Georgia as heavy rain, hail and winds downed trees and power lines.

On Thursday night, a black funnel cloud packing winds of at least 136 mph descended on the western Arkansas hamlet of Mena, killing at least three, injuring 30 and destroying or damaging 600 homes.

There, emergency officials are trying to collect ice chests and tarps to prepare for another round of storms projected to hit the area Sunday. Crews have already used 1,000 tarps to cover damaged roofs, and workers are struggling to keep perishables refrigerated because power is still out in Mena.

Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Link

Tornado touches down in Jackson County

By Ken Bonner
The Daily Sentinel

Published April 10, 2009

It was a tornado.

That word came through loud and clear from rural parts of Jackson, Marshall and DeKalb County late Friday after a strong storm system moved through the area at mid-afternoon even thoght there had been no confirmation from the National Weather Service. Tornado warnings were in effect and warning sirens had gone off all across the area prior to the storm’s arrival.

In Section at least two people were transported by ambulance to Highlands Medical Center in Scottsboro with what were described as non-life threatening injuries.

The Good Friday storm first struck in the Preston Island Community in northern Marshall County. It made its way across the Tennessee River before striking in the Langston area of southeastern Jackson County. From there the storm hop-scotched across Sand Mountain striking near Macedonia, in areas outlying Section before making its way through Powell in DeKalb County just east of Northeast Alabama Community College.

Ernest Fernandez, 19, and Ivan Garcia, 13, whose home on County Road 430 in Jackson County was totally destroyed, were transported for medical treatment by Highlands Medical Center Ambulance.

“The wind blew too hard,” Thomas Fernadez,Jr. said. “We were about to leave when we heard it coming so we jumped on the couch and then everything was blown away.”

The Fernandez family’s mobile home was gone. Debris was scattered for hundreds of yards and a car that had been parked near the residence had been picked up and set back down approximately 30 feet away with no apparent damage, according to Fernandez. 

From there the tornado severely damaged a two-story wood frame home nearby. No one was at home when the storm hit but two horses still roamed about, seemingly unfazed, in an adjacent pasture less than an hour afterwards.

At least six people were in the home when the storm struck. Fernandez and his young sister, Anna, received minor injuries. Fernandez shoulder was hurt by flying debris and Anna had a cut on her hand.

“It blew everything away, Thomas Fernandez, Sr., said. “We’ve lost everything. What you see is what we’ve got.”

“It scared me,” Anna Fernandez, who sat quietly in the front seat of a nearby van, said. “It was loud.”

Kenneth Cisco and his family, who live on County Road 38, a mile or so from the Fernandez, were lucky too. Most of the roof was blown off the family’s single-story ranch style home and the majority of the windows were blown out. 

The family huddled in a closet during the storm. Their cattle and three dogs tied up outside were unharmed.

“It scared the heck out of me,” Melody Ellis said. “It didn’t last long. Boom – and it was over. We felt the whole house move.”

Ellis said the storm hit at 3:45 p.m.

Wilson and Loretta Thomas were in their home just down the road when the storm hit. Their two-story brick home withstood the storm well with moderate roof damage and broken windows. A barn style shed behind the home that contained an office and a small living area was totally destroyed.

“I was cleaning the stove,” Loretta Wilson said. “I thought boy it’s windy. And it was hailing big.”

“Wilson said. ‘it’s a tornado’,” Loretta said. “So we already knew where we were going and got in a triple-walled stairwell going into the garage. It’s covered from above with another stairwell and is the safest place in the home.

“We could hear the scream. It hailed and knocked windows out, but we’re alive,” Loretta said.

“We’re safe,” Wilson said as friends and neighbors drove up to help clean up downed trees and scattered debris at the home.

In Scottsboro eight power poles along Alabama Highway 35 were downed as the storm, packing strong straight line winds, made its way through the city. Three of the poles fell on vehicles traveling the roadway but there were no reported injuries to any of the four people trapped inside.

The roadway was blocked for some time while emergency personnel set up barrel barriers to allow traffic to move in both directions.

It took power company and emergency personnel about 30 minutes to get the people safely out of their vehicles. Work crews remained on the scene into the early evening hours resetting poles and restoring power to the area.

South of Scottsboro, Preston Island was devastated, according to early reports from the scene. Alabama Highway 79 from Scottsboro to Guntersville was blocked in the area of Waterfront Grocery in Marshall County due to downed trees, which made it difficult for emergency personnel to reach the scene.

Reports indicated at least 20 homes were totally destroyed and many more severely damaged by the storm. There were no immediate reports of injuries on the island that is home to permanent residents as well as weekend and summer homes. But some people were unaccounted for and work crews were trying to clear roadways into the community as night fell.

Across the river at Langston major damage was reported at campgrounds in the area. One report indicated that at least 20 recreational vehicles had been tossed into the water at a resort area. Many more were damaged by falling trees and flying debris. There were no immediate reports of injuries. 

The storm was part of a large system that struck the southeast Friday. Tornadoes were reported in Mississippi,Tennessee and Kentucky as well as other parts of Alabama. Storms were also threatening Georgia into the early evening hours.

Early reports indicated at least two people were killed and 30 injured when a tornado hit downtown Murfreesboro, Tennessee, 25 miles southeast of Nashville, at about midday. The city, Tennessee’s fastest growing, is home to Middle Tennessee State University.

Link

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP) Tornadoes are reported to have touched down in central Tennessee and southwestern Kentucky this afternoon, injuring at least 15 people. A line of storms has been moving from the Midwest toward the South. Another tornado struck the western Arkansas city of Mena last night, killing three people.

Link

Some ignore siren as tornado strikes Ark. hamlet

By JON GAMBRELL – 7 hours ago

MENA, Ark. (AP) — The sirens sounded three times across this western Arkansas hamlet, and residents watched several funnel clouds pass harmlessly over town. The fourth siren was for another twister that ended up being a killer.

While many took cover immediately Thursday night in the basement of the county courthouse, others stayed home, only to glance out their windows just in time to see the black funnel descend on the community just east of the Oklahoma line. At least three people were killed, at least 30 others injured and 600 homes were damaged or destroyed.

“This one popped out of nowhere,” said Polk County Sheriff Mike Oglesby.

The tornado was part of a line of storms that continued wreaking havoc in the South on Friday. The National Weather Service said a tornado destroyed two homes in southwestern Kentucky, and authorities near Nashville, Tenn., said multiple tornado touchdowns were reported.

As daylight broke Friday in Mena, pink insulation hung like cherry blossoms from the sheared branches of century-old maples. The roof of a two-story home sat atop the rubble that once was the floors beneath it, a set of women’s clothes still hanging from a suspended closet rack.

Oglesby said search-and-rescue teams had combed through the city’s downtown and a neighborhood just west that sustained the brunt of the storm without finding any other victims. The sheriff said he had no reports of anyone else missing in the city of 5,700 in the Ouachita Mountains.

An initial survey of the damage suggests the tornado packed winds of at least 136 mph, weather service forecaster John Robinson said Friday.

Basic tornado safety rules call for people, when warned, to go to the lowest floor in a building and put as many walls as possible between themselves and outside.

A warning was posted at 7:24 p.m. Thursday night for areas north of Mena and another one went up for the community at 8:01 p.m. — nine minutes before it hit. The reason for four separate sirens wasn’t immediately clear, but Robinson said some communities cannot run their sirens continuously because their motors will burn up.

“Everything was well-covered. We said everything was heading straight toward Mena. It’s unfortunate yet,” Robinson.

The twice-monthly meeting of the Mena’s chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star had been going on uninterrupted, the 19 people inside only faintly hearing the sirens through the building’s cinderblock walls, said attendee Thurman Allen.

“We heard the siren two or three times. It would sound off and it would quit,” said Allen, 79. “We were getting ready to get out of the building when it hit.”

The storm tore down the Masonic hall’s walls, collapsing the roof on one woman, killing her, Allen said. Allen was hit with debris and thrown to the floor. The wind bowled over his wife and others inside.

“We had several ladies who it took the shoes right off their feet,” said Fred Key, 37.

Others killed in the Mena storm were found in a collapsed house and in a front yard, said James Reeves, the county’s emergency coordinator. The identities of the two women and a man who died have not been released.

Some residents sought shelter in the Polk County Courthouse, where dispatchers became trapped immediately after the storm. A radio antenna fell over onto part of the beige brick building during the storm, damaging its roof.

Others, like Ken Butler, 40, said they initially dismissed the sirens. Butler could only huddle against a wall as the storm hit, his arms wrapped around an exposed gas pipe.

“The siren was going off in plenty of time, I just didn’t take it serious enough,” Butler said.

The storm plucked his neighbor’s shotgun-style home off its foundation and tossed it about 20 feet away. Across the street, neighbor Edward Cross, 69, said he and his wife Nettie, 66, also didn’t heed the sirens. Instead, he lifted the blinds of his back windows to look out toward the town’s middle school and the courthouse.

At that point, Cross said the “big black cloud” loomed right in front of him.

“I didn’t have time to go nowhere, I just grabbed a hold of the wall and held on,” Cross said. The storm tore away a quarter of their home’s roof.

The violent weather was part of a system that caused damage throughout the South and parts of the Midwest. As the storms moved east, hail and high winds were reported in Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi and Tennessee. Power was out in many parts of the region.

Southeast of Nashville in Rutherford County, a sheriff’s dispatcher said “multiple tornado touchdowns” were reported Friday in various parts of the county.

Brian Smith, general manager at a Cracker Barrel restaurant in the area along Interstate 24, said he saw a “pretty wide” tornado and that he “could see debris in the air from the rotation.”

A tornado Friday destroyed two homes and knocked down trees and power lines near the community of Mannington, Ky., in Christian County, weather service meteorologist Robin Smith said in Paducah. Smith said the storm also dumped hail, some as large as eggs, throughout Christian and Lyon counties.

The weather service said a woman was injured at Shreveport, La., when a tree fell onto her car during a tornado. Twisters also damaged homes east of Vinita and near Muse in Oklahoma and at Crossett in far southern Arkansas, near the Louisiana line.

Mena’s storm destroyed a city plant that makes gaskets for air conditioners and an ice manufacturer. Small business owners swept up glass from their sidewalks in the downtown in a city known for its remodeled homes from the 1800s and century-old trees, said Prosecutor Tim Williamson.

The town once looked “pastoral,” Williamson said. “It’s not anymore.”

Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Link

Deadly fires, tornadoes rage across US

CHICAGO (AFP) — Firefighters battled deadly wildfires while rescue workers dug through the rubble left by tornados after a strong storm system cut a swath of destruction from Texas to Tennessee.

At least eight people were killed, dozens were injured and hundreds of homes and businesses were reduced to ash or rubble.

One of the fires appears to have been deliberately set, officials said.

“We haven’t proved that there was malice but we do know that the fire was intentionally set,” Jerry Lojka of the Midwest City, Oklahoma fire department told reporters.

The Oklahoman newspaper reported that teenagers were spotted in the area before the fire which destroyed 17 homes was sparked Thursday.

Oklahoma’s governor declared a state of emergency in 31 counties where 62 people were injured and about 200 homes and business were destroyed by the fires and a tornado which touched down on the eastern edge of the state.

“Our firefighters and first responders have done an outstanding job in the face of daunting fires, and these brave men and women have our heartfelt gratitude. They are true heroes,” Governor Brad Henry said.

“But there is much more to do, and the State of Oklahoma will do everything in its power to ensure help for those people who need it most.”

Three people were killed and 32 homes destroyed in Texas as high winds fueled 49 major fires which burned 100,000 acres (40,500 hectares) in the Lone Star state and filled the skies with thick clouds of smoke, the Texas Forest Service said.

Some 161 homes have been destroyed in drought-stricken Texas since January 1 as wildfires swallowed some 240,000 acres (97,000 hectares) and the governor of Texas issued an emergency declaration for 199 counties Friday.

A former television journalist and his wife were among the dead when their home was engulfed in flames Thursday, WFAA news in Dallas reported.

The fires devastated two small towns north of Dallas as high winds and bone dry conditions fueled the flames which raced across parched fields and swallowed homes, the station reported.

Winds as strong as 112 kilometers (70 miles) per hour fanned the flames that engulfed 12 counties in the northern part of the state, as the governor’s office activated Texas Military Forces to provide assistance, including two helicopters, in fighting the blazes, the Texas Department of Public Safety said.

The winds eased in Texas on Friday, but firefighters continued to battle 20 major blazes.

A mother and her nine-week-old baby were killed and 35 people were hurt when a tornado tore through the town of Murfreesboro, Tennessee around 12:35 pm (1635 GMT) Friday, officials said.

“There was substantial damage,” said Murfreesboro police spokesman Kyle Evans as he described the twisted path the tornado wove through town.

“We are in a search and rescue mode. We’re going door to door, house to house looking for any potential people who are trapped in their homes.”

Three people were killed and 23 were hurt after a tornado touched down in the town of Mena on Thursday evening, the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management said.

The storms damaged more than 150 homes and businesses in 11 Arkansas counties.

Link

Tornado wallops Ark. town; 3 killed, dozens hurt

By JON GAMBRELL, Associated Press Writer

MENA, Ark. – Authorities began a house-to-house search Friday to check on residents after a tornado struck a “direct hit” on this mountain community, killing at least three people, injuring at least 30 others and flattening homes and businesses.

The twister descended quickly on Mena shortly after 8 p.m. Thursday after a series of siren blasts warned residents of tornadoes in the area.

Daylight exposed a community ripped apart. Century-old pecan trees leaned into homes — some with pink insulation strung from their limbs. Along some streets, roofs had collapsed into homes. On other streets, roofs were simply gone.

“It just looks like a war zone,” Mayor George McKee said.

Thurman Allen, 79, said his charitable group, the Order of the Eastern Star, had just sat down for its twice-monthly meeting at the Masonic lodge when the last siren sounded. Before the 19 attendees could take cover, the tornado peeled away the roof with winds so strong that some women had their shoes ripped off their feet.

“I was down on the floor — I just flattened,” Allen said.

One woman was killed by falling debris — her body recovered after emergency workers cut part of the roof away.

Elsewhere in the Ouachita Mountains town, Marion Boyt, 76, said he survived after rushing into a small closet with his son and daughter-in-law.

“I guess we got skinny because we were so scared,” he said.

Boyt said one of those killed died when the roof of a two-story home collapsed.

The body of the third person killed was found in her front yard, county’s emergency coordinator James Reeves said. Authorities have not released the names of those killed pending notification of their families.

National Guard troops patrolled the downtown of this city of 5,700 residents. An overnight curfew was put in effect as emergency crews dealt with ruptured gas lines, downed power lines, fallen trees and heavily damaged buildings.

Meanwhile, emergency workers were going door-to-door to check on residents, although there were no specific reports of people missing. They said they would likely need help getting around fallen trees.

Prosecutor Tim Williamson said dispatchers at the county courthouse had been trapped inside immediately after the storm, and that the county jail was “uninhabitable.” Inmates were transfered to nearby counties, said the office of County Judge Ray Stanley.

The twister tore the roof off a local community college building and destroyed two businesses at the city’s industrial park, Williamson said.

Mena Middle School also sustained significant roof damage, principal Mike Hobson said. One portable classroom was destroyed and that part of the auditorium’s roof was ripped away, and administrators would have to discuss when classes can resume, Hobson said.

Rick Lanman, who manages the Mena Airport, said darkness fell quickly as the tornado crossed the Oklahoma border 10 miles away.

“Me and the dog ran to the bathroom when we saw it on the TV,” Lanman said. “It was here in less than a minute.”

Mena sirens sounded for earlier storms north and south of town. When they sounded a fourth time, “experience was telling me that we were in trouble,” said Lanman, who said he been through tornadoes before in Oklahoma and Illinois.

The violent weather was part of a system that caused damage throughout the South and parts of the Midwest. The National Weather Service said a woman was injured at Shreveport, La., when a tree fell onto her car during a tornado. Twisters also damaged homes east of Vinita and near Muse in Oklahoma and at Crossettin far southern Arkansas, near the Louisiana line.

As the storms moved east, hail and high winds were reported in Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi and Tennessee. Power was out in many parts of the region.

The injured were taken to Mena Medical Center for treatment.

Reeves, the emergency coordinator, said he had never seen such a powerful storm hit the tornado-prone region.

“Not in my lifetime,” he said. “The last tornado we had to hit the city of Mena was in November 1993. This time we had significant structures (hit).”