| Below is an account of the devastation in the greater Little Rock, Arkansas area by Firefighter Scott Joblin. Scott was active with First West Chester for over 15 years before moving to Little Rock 2 years ago.
Editor’s Note: The following is a first person account from a former Chester County resident who responded to a Daily Local News Facebook request seeking stories from people on the ground near the deadly tornadoes in Little Rock, Ark., on Sunday.
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Deb and I lived in West Chester for 10 years. We relocated to Little Rock, AR in 2012 because I was transferred with work. There have been multiple severe storms since we have lived here and a few tornado's in the state, but nothing as significant and as close as this one.
The local meteorologists had been warning of the potential for severe storms for several days. I have noticed that they take the potential for severe thunderstorm activity very seriously here!
It receives as much media attention as a Nor’easter does in the Philly Metro area. When the threat is particularly high and imminent, the local TV stations go live with weather, interrupting whatever regularly scheduled programing happens to be on.
Such was the case last night. We were watching the news and I was listing to the National Weather Service amateur radio frequency (Arkansas SKYWARN) on my phone. The storm which spawned the tornado intensified very rapidly - in a matter of minutes it went from severe warned to tornado warned. As we watched the radar on TV, the signature hook echo became apparent. Ten seconds later, the radio reported a visible tornado, the TV confirmed a tornado, and the sirens went off. Although I knew the storm was not close and was on a track to miss us, it was a very scary situation. My adrenaline was pulsing, I got the chills from the sound of the siren, and we discussed where our “safe place” was in the event the track changed.
We could not see the funnel cloud from our house. It was over a ridge and approximately 10 miles away. The first indication I had that this was a serious situation with devastating results was from my fire radio. I am a volunteer with the West Pulaski Fire Department and was monitoring the radio. (Shout out to the First West Chester Fire Company - I was a member there for 15 years.)
Back to the fire radio. Firefighters at Station 3 reported a visible funnel cloud and flying debris. Shortly after, one of our Assistant Chiefs requested an immediate response to his neighborhood for significant widespread damage.
It turns out the initial touchdown of the tornado was basically in his front yard. I was part of the first crew to that scene. We had to cut our way into the area, then cut our way into check on damage and injuries. The damage was devastating. Hundreds and hundreds of trees down. Power lines and poles down. Debris everywhere. Many houses were damaged and several were completely destroyed. There were multiple injuries, several serious.
Unfortunately, three people lost their lives in that neighborhood. We operated on the scene for five hours until we were able to confirm everyone was accounted for. There were two other areas of severe damage in our district as well.
It is amazing to me to see a group of people act so selflessly in the face of danger. I am speaking not only of the firefighters, sheriff’s deputies, paramedics but the people in the neighborhood. They were out in force - doing whatever they could to help their neighbors. Providing water and blankets. Cutting trees. Checking on the safety of their friends. I was very impressed and proud to be part of it.
My experience is a small part of the devastation that storm left across 100 miles the tornado tracked across Arkansas. I hope that gives you a picture of what it was like. |
