Tornadoes hit the Little Rock area and Wynne, Arkansas and caused damage which left many injured and at least five dead.

The National Weather Service issued tornado warnings throughout Arkansas March 31. The tornadoes tore through Arkansas, destroying parts of Little Rock and the majority of Wynne. The National Weather Service rated both of these tornadoes as EF-3, which means the storm blew at an estimated speed of 136-165 mph. 

“You always think it’s going to happen somewhere else and it’s just so surreal to happen to you,” said Levia Taegtmeyer, a senior exercise science major from Wynne.

The tornado that blew through Wynne caused tremendous damage. Jarida Lily Hess, a junior creative media production major from Wynne, said her hometown experienced tragedy from this storm.

“Wynne, Arkansas is a really beautiful town; it was anyway,” Hess said.

She said the tornado destroyed many homes and buildings, including Wynne High School.

“Right now, school, jobs, stuff like that: everything is at a complete standstill. For one, there is no school because there are no school buildings,” she said.

Hess also said she thinks more than the four confirmed people died due to the wreckage. According to a Coroner on Sunday there were a total of four deaths. 

“There were two kids out there who were my age, probably about early 20s, and they died together. It was just really scary because you never expect something like this to happen to people you know, and it could have been anyone. There were several fatalities and it’s a small town. Our population is literally just barely over 8,000 people and we all know each other,” she said.

Hess said some people call Wynne “The City with a Smile.” She said she thinks the people of Wynne proved that nickname while dealing with the aftermath.

“There was a group of 10 or 15 people downtown who pulled a 60-year-old woman named Florence out of the rubble, like there were no walls, nothing. It was just rubble, they pulled her out, and she survived. Those people had all lost their own homes. They were not emergency personnel. They were all you know, just citizens of the city,” Hess said. “I guess it’s really proven that it’s not what you have to give but what you want to give.” 

Taegtmeyer said her family experienced damage as a result of the tornado in Wynne.

“My grandma called me bawling her eyes out because her house had been hit really bad, trees down everywhere. Her roof was gone and she said they were trapped in her neighborhood and that their entire neighborhood was destroyed,” Taegtmeyer said.

She also said one of the hardest things for her is looking at photos of Wynne High School.

“Just to see the place where I graduated, the place where I grew up, to see families and the football field and to know that my brother who’s a senior this year won’t be able to graduate on that field: it’s just really heartbreaking,” she said.

Taegtmeyer said she thinks it will be hard to go home and see the damage.

“Wynne is kind of like, where I go to relax, where I go to escape from school and responsibility and just to kind of go home and get away from all of the stress of the transition from college to adult life and just to have that be ruined is really hard,” she said.

The city of Wynne set up a donation center on 187 Murray Avenue in Wynne. Monetary donations can be made at https://www.gofundme.com/f/tornado-relief-wynne-arkansas.

The tornado in the Little Rock area initially touched down Friday afternoon and in addition to property damage, killed one person and left over 50 people hospitalized. 

Cassidy Lamb, a senior English major from North Little Rock, said she worried about her family who were at home during the tornado.

“I was just kind of in a complete panic because there was nothing I could do here to, you know, protect my grandma or to check on my mom,” Lamb said.

Her mom works as a nurse, so she could not leave work during the storm.

“I was freaking out. Especially for my mom’s safety because there wasn’t anything that she could do to protect herself really,” she said.

Although her house remains intact, Lamb’s neighborhood experienced damage.

“Luckily, our house was fine. The only thing was that (my mom) didn’t have power for I want to say almost two days. But a few of our neighbors, their roofs got blown off and so they have tarps on the roofs,” she said.

Lamb also said trees and debris caused road closures throughout the area. Little Rock and North Little Rock issued curfews for several neighborhoods, including Lamb’s.

Donations for relief in Central Arkansas can be dropped off at 4501 Burrow Drive in North Little Rock or 4301 W. 65th St. in Little Rock. Monetary donations for Little Rock can be made at https://www.littlerock.gov/.

University Chancellor Todd Shields, Ph.D., sent out an email to students, faculty and staff on Tuesday with details on how the campus community can help. 

“I know we are in the final weeks of our semester.  I’m going to ask our faculty to prepare to work with those who have had their lives impacted by these terrible storms.  Especially for our A-State Online students and instructors”  Shields said. 

The A-State Athletics Department is launching a supplies relief drive for Wynne April 5-8. Donations can be dropped off at the Tomlinson Stadium at 208 Olympic Drive or the information desk of the Reng Student Union. Suggested items include cases of drinks, toiletries and cleaning supplies. For the full list and further information go to astatetheherald.com 

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