ROGERS, Ark. — The Arkansas Department of Emergency Management confirmed there were at least seven fatalities across the state after Sunday's storms — three of which were in Benton County.
"Certainly, it's devastating to see," Sanders said. "Anytime you have the loss of life, the loss of homes and businesses, and a community impacted in this way, it's incredibly difficult."
One Monte Ne family told 5NEWS their grandma, Linda Dorey, died after a tree struck her home on Sunday. The 80-year-old woman had just celebrated her 63rd wedding anniversary with her husband, Paul.
Family members, some of whom live nearby, said they rushed to the scene after hearing a tree had fallen on Linda and Paul's home after violent storms.
"They had told us that grandma wasn't here anymore but grandpa was still in the house, so we just knew that we had to get up here to get grandpa out and try to make sure he was OK at least," Megan Dorey, Linda's granddaughter, said. "And it wasn't a second thought. It was just get up and go as fast as we could to get up here."
The family was the first on scene at 3 a.m. where they successfully rescued their grandfather. By 4 a.m., the Benton County Sheriff's Office and other agencies arrived to help.
"My cousin Easton jumping in, kicking the door down, and pulling my grandad out was amazing," Jeremiah Dorey, Linda's grandson, said. "I still don't know how he got him out. He's three times his weight."
Linda's family said everyone who knew their grandma loved her.
"As far as my grandma, she was an amazing woman, sweet as could be, [and] would help anyone out. Even if she was mad at you, she still would take care of you first, make sure you're fed or something, then get back mad at you after," Jeremiah said.
The family says gathering at their grandma's home over the years brought them close together.
"We were always brought back here every year for family things with grandma and grandpa, so this was always like the meeting place on like Fourth of July and everything for the lake. We were always brought back here for years," Megan said.
According to the family, it took crews around eight hours to retrieve Linda's body. They said around 30 family members rushed to the house when they got word of the tragedy, and none left until her body was recovered from the home.
To help support Paul rebuild his life, the family set up a GoFundMe.
Watch 5NEWS on YouTube.
Download the 5NEWS app on your smartphone:
Stream 5NEWS 24/7 on the 5+ app: How to watch the 5+ app on your streaming device
To report a typo or grammatical error, please email KFSMDigitalTeam@tegna.com and detail which story you're referring to.