Arkansas, Oklahoma Hit Hard by Weekend Tornadoes

Arkansas, Oklahoma and parts of the Midwest were pounded over the weekend by deadly tornado-producing storms.

The Arkansas Department of Emergency Management reported that Faulkner County was particularly hard hit. At least 10 fatalities were reported as a result of a tornado outbreak there.

In Oklahoma, one person was killed in Quapaw and the city’s fire station was destroyed when a tornado struck early in the evening on Sunday, April 27. The tornado destroyed at least five businesses and other structures, according to an announcement released by the office of Gov. Mary Fallin, who has declared a state of emergency for Ottawa County.

Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner John Doak said he would visit the area today and that representatives from the Oklahoma Insurance Department’s anti-fraud and consumer assistance divisions have been deployed to assist tornado survivors.

In Kansas, dozens of people were injured and at least 100 homes and 12 businesses were damaged, according to various media reports.

The Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management reported that one fatality and several injuries have been attributed the storm, and that property damage occurred mainly in the rural southwest part of the state.

Downed trees and damage to farm outbuildings, grain bins, and a few residential structures were reported, the agency said. Tornadic activity in the state has not yet been confirmed but the department said the National Weather Service continues to conduct ground assessments in the state.

Damage assessments and fatality reports are continuing throughout the tornado-affected areas, authorities say.