SALINE COUNTY, AR — A severe thunderstorm that rolled through Saline County on Saturday evening knocked out power for thousands of customers, damaged some structures and briefly shut down roads across the area. Emergency officials said the storm left fallen trees and power lines across multiple routes, making travel difficult during the height of the weather event.
Stuart Duke, deputy director of Saline County Emergency Management, said the county saw about 13,000 outages at the peak. Thousands of customers were still without electricity Sunday as crews worked to clear debris and restore service. By Sunday, county officials said every county road was open and passable again.
Roads Reopened
Officials said more than 10 locations were completely blocked by trees or downed power lines. Those closures created a temporary public-safety problem as the storm moved through and left some roads impassable.
Duke said residents and local volunteers helped where they could, including using chainsaws to clear problem spots. He said that effort happened alongside public safety crews, who were already working to get roads reopened. The county’s emergency management office said the clean-up was focused on restoring access as quickly as possible while utilities dealt with outages.
Calls For Help
Saline County’s 9-1-1 center handled more than 50 storm-related calls during the storm’s peak, emergency officials said. Those calls reflected the range of problems caused by the wind and lightning, from blocked roads to damaged property and power interruptions…