Update: Tornado Damage to Corning Airport, Planes Totals $6 to 10-million
By: KARK 4 News
Updated: September 3, 2012
Two days after an EF2 tornado touched down in Clay County, damage at the Corning Municipal Airport is estimated at 6 to 10-million dollars.
That's according to Airport Commissioner Mark Rockwell, who told KARK 4 News by phone today that 16 airplanes were damaged in the storm, along with five buildings, two hangars and a shed. The hangars are expected to be covered by the city's insurance, he said.
About two dozen private and commercial (crop-dusting) airplanes are usually kept at the airport, Rockwell said.
The airport runway is open, but only during daylight hours, he said.
According to the National Weather Service in Memphis, the twister struck shortly before 4:30 Saturday afternoon. Some nearby homes had damage from blown out windows.
Photo courtesy: KAIT and, Laura Brown.
Update (September 2):
The National Weather Service out of Memphis confirms an EF2 tornado did hit in Clay County Saturday. It caused damage to the Corning Municipal Airport.
Pictures came to KARK just after 6:00 pm Saturday night. Now we know for sure it was a twister that caused that damage.
One airplane is now surrounded by debris, and several hangers and a shed were damaged by the tornado.
Original Story (September 1):
Several areas of the state are reporting damage after storms that swept through the Natural State Saturday. Emergency officials tell KARK they have not heard of any injuries at this time.
The City of Hot Springs reported tree limbs down on power lines. The Austin Hotel also suffered some damage to the siding on the front of the building. The hotel was seriously damaged by another storm early last month when winds blew a hole into it.
The Department of Emergency Management also says the Corning Airport in Clay County was damaged. Several hangers and a shed were damaged by the winds Saturday.
In Paragould in Greene County, a tractor-trailer parked at a residence was toppled by the storm.
Conway County also saw some trees down.
Storms also hit Des Arc Saturday afternoon. Police say several homes and cars were damaged by falling trees, but no one was injured.
Dozens of people are without power in the Des Arc area.
As of 8:00 p.m. more than 10,000 people without power, mostly in Garland, Saline and White Counties.
For a complete look at outages through Entergy, click here.
