Severe weather causes damage across Arkansas as atmospheric conditions generate powerful storms
Storm damage has been reported after severe weather moves across the state of Arkansas. Emergency responders in Pine Bluff are currently trying to rescue people from an apartment complex just off Idaho Street. Authorities are reporting extensive damage to the building including a roof that was blown off. One person is believed to have been trapped inside. According to the ambulance service, at least four people are injured.
KARK reported that the conditions of those injured ranges from minor to serious. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported that multiple police and fire departments responded to Myranda's Place, according to Pine Bluff City Councilman Win Trafford. There will be shelter available at the Pine Bluff Convention Center for anyone who needs it.
AccuWeather stated that law enforcement officials in Fordyce, Dallas County, reported thunderstorm wind damage with trees being ripped by their roots. In Chambersville, Calhoun County, authorities confirmed thunderstorm wind damage as well as a tree blown onto a house.
Texas and Oklahoma faced deadly thunderstorms that unleashed baseball-sized hail, flooding rainfall, and multiple tornadoes on May 7 into May 8 as severe weather continued in the region into its second consecutive day. The same weather elements will be a threat for a major part of the country right through Thursday as atmospheric conditions traveling across the country continue generating powerful storms.
The weather resulted in one fatality when a man was swept away in rising waters in Austin, Texas, on Wednesday afternoon. His body was later recovered in Lady Bird Lake when Austin police reported seeing the man floating downstream under the South First Street Bridge.