| Updated: 8/06/2009 8:41 am |
Published: 8/05/2009 1:19 pm |
Uprooted trees, downed power lines and trees on houses all caused by a powerful storm that hit part of Lonoke County. Tuesday night was a tough night in Lonoke County. Most people say they were pretty lucky. But tell that to the man who had a tree fall on him.
While cleaning up after a storm in the South Bend community a tree fell on a 54-year-old man. His injuries were so severe the fire department didn't want to waste anytime so they called in the helicopter to rush him to the hospital.
Home with two young children when the storm rolled, Sean Calhoun tried to make it to the storm cellar outside but the wind was too strong. A tree clipped his garage and landed on his truck.
“It was kinda like being in a dryer. The wind was just awful. You could hear things rumbling and things were blowing things around,” Calhoun said.
The wind was so strong it knocked over a huge tree that Calhoun says has been on his property for at least 50 years.
“We liked having that tree around it was good shade for the kids to play under, but it’s gone now”
Down the road a tree fell on Becky Prange's house. It woke her up immediately. “There was a big movement of the house and the beds. That’s when I walked outside and saw the tree on the house,” Prange said.
A gas station has roof problems as well, the wind completely shifted it. The wind also brought down utility poles and power lines. Crews worked much of the day trying to get the lights back on. Still with all of the work the folks here consider themselves lucky.
“It could have been a whole lot worse,” Calhoun said.
The storms left 24,000 people without power. It hit hardest in Pulaski, Lonoke and White counties. No other injuries have been reported.
