By John Lyon
Arkansas News Bureau
LITTLE ROCK — Gov. Mike Beebe toured tornado-damaged areas in Saline County today in the wake of storms that ripped across several Arkansas counties Wednesday night and left one person dead.
Despite the fatality, “it definitely could have been much, much worse,” Beebe spokesman Matt DeCample said after returning to Little Rock with the governor this afternoon.
DeCample said some homes were already being repaired when the Beebe arrived arrived, and insurance teams were on the scene.
“The governor was impressed by the speed of the response,” DeCample said.
The National Weather Service confirmed one tornado each in Saline and Cleburne counties. The one reported fatality occurred in Cleburne County.
Sheriff Marty Moss said 79-year-old Ward Baldridge of Pearson died from injuries he received when a tornado destroyed his home. Baldridge was taken to Baptist Medical Center in Heber Springs, where he later died.
In the home with Baldridge were his wife, Ivajean Baldridge, 75, and grandson Blake Baldridge, 23. Both received serious injuries and were taken to Baptist Medical Center, then transferred to a Little Rock hospital, Moss said.
Moss said he also received a report that a man, whose name he did not know, received a shoulder injury and lacerations when the tornado “picked his vehicle up and turned it around.”
One person also was reported injured in White County.
The National Weather Service was investigating reports of possible tornadoes in White and Hempstead counties, forecaster Brian Smith said today.
The Arkansas Department of Emergency Management reported that the tornado in Cleburne County destroyed two homes and damaged six others.
In White County, storms damaged 19 homes, three of which were destroyed. Most of the homes were in the Center Hill area, where the Center Hill Baptist Church and a fire station also received damage. Three homes received minor damage in Albion.
An estimated 22 homes were damaged near Benton in Saline County. Two of the homes were destroyed. A Salem fire station and numerous barns and sheds also received damage, ADEM reported.
In Hempstead County, one building was damaged and trees were snapped about five miles west of Ozan.
Beebe said today he did not yet know whether he would declare any of the affected counties disaster areas.
“That’s formula-driven, based on the amount of the damage, the value of the damage, the widespread nature of the damage. ADEM is doing assessments, and we’ll be guided by that,” he said.
Entergy Arkansas reported on its Web site that 1,134 of its customers experienced power outages caused by Wednesday night’s storms. First Electric Cooperative said that 3,000 of its customers lost power during the storms but power was restored to about two-thirds before midnight.
