CENTERTON, Ark. — In the early morning hours of May 26, several tornadoes hit Northwest Arkansas, including at least two suspected tornadoes near Centerton. The National Weather Service said in a preliminary report an EF2 tornado hit the city.
Taylor Loucks lives in the Graystone Duplexes, close to the edge of Centerton's west city limits. He lives with his husband, son, son's nanny, father, and twin brother.
"It could have been a very deadly situation for my husband, and luckily, you know, nothing bad happened. I mean, we're safe. We have a roof over our heads, even if it's not our own. Now we're all together still. Can't ask for much more," Loucks said.
Loucks is concerned for his grandma as she's still stuck in her damaged Rogers home. They also don't have power because of the downed power lines. It's going to ruin his grandma's insulin and his grandpa can't charge his heart monitor.
Power companies are estimating power to be restored by Friday at 10 p.m.
Sergeant Nicholas Green drove in from his home in Pea Ridge when he saw all the damage from the storm. Once here, officers knocked on doors to fulfill their obligation to the city before they assisted neighboring Decatur, which sustained significant damage.
"This is a tragedy, but that's when people are the strongest— when we all come together to fix it. There's nothing we can't make it through. It's going to be difficult. It's not going to be okay. It's never going to be okay. I think that would be wrong to say, but there are ways that we can get through it together," Sgt. Green said.
Centerton Mayor Bill Edwards said he'd communicated frequently with citizens using social media so they'd remain weather-aware. He said that because first responders went door to door in Centerton, they were able to find a home that was smoking from the attic. First responders woke up the residents and got them out in time.
"You know, that's the culture of Northwest Arkansas, we all just work together and are very proud to be able to assist our neighbors," Edwards said.
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