Northern Arkansas is in a world of hurt. Thousands of customers are still without power. Damage from the ice storm has also knocked out all communications with the central command center of the Northern Arkansas Electric Cooperative.
That includes not just power, but phone lines and internet access. Crews made progress but it didn't last. More problems surfaced Thursday afternoon, this time caused by melting ice. With no power and no heat it could be weeks before everything is back up and running.
A dusk until dawn curfew is underway in the Jackson County town of Newport as crews work to restore power.
Eighth grader Allison Victory is spending her snow day helping her dad clean up after the storm. Allison and her dad lost power Monday night. "We get a lot of flooding...when we do get this, it's usually bad," Allison’s dad Edward Cooley said.
One of the hardest hit areas in town is the cemetery. Tree branches are down everywhere and ice chunks keep falling on the ground, and it looks like someone dumped an ice chest on the ground.
Cooley is a caretaker at the cemetery and after he picks up his yard he'll go back to work. "It's a pitiful sight to walk up on. And hopefully I'll get some help over there. And get some break in the weather...and get that cleaned up too."
Crews didn't waste anytime restoring power and getting trees out of the road. To make it safer for people like Cooley and his daughter to get back into their routine.
Police tell us we're looking at Saturday before the three sections of Newport still without power will get it back. North of Newport in Tuckerman, it could be a week.
