flash flood sign
At least 10 deaths are blamed on severe storms that knocked out power to more than 100,000 homes and business across the state, caused catastrophic flooding in northeast Arkansas and ravaged hundreds of homes. The storms rolled in over the last week of April and peaked during the weekend of April 29-30. Arkansans are still feeling the aftermath of those storms nearly two weeks later, as cleanup and repairs are still underway and, in some areas, have just begun.

Strong storms packing high winds and heavy rain hammered the state Saturday, April 29, into early Sunday, April 30, leaving widespread damage -- enough for Governor Asa Hutchinson to declare a "state of emergency" statewide. All that rain caused river and lake levels to rise and eventually overflow, causing extreme flooding in various parts of the state. The flooding continued to worsen even after the brunt of the bad weather was over, with waters still lingering nearly two weeks after the original storms. Northeast Arkansas was the hardest hit after nine levees breached, putting the town of Pocahontas and other parts of Randolph County underwater.

Over the course of April 29 to May 9, a total of 10 bodies have been found, with possibly more still out there. Monday morning, May 1, the Saline County Sheriff's Office reported finding the body of a kayaker who had been missing at Lake Winona since Sunday afternoon. As of 7 p.m. Sunday, two children were missing in Madison County after their mother's car was swept away by floodwaters. The mother was able to swim to safety. Officials there labeled the mission a recovery and not rescue. As of Monday afternoon, one child's body had been found. The following weekend, May 6, the other child's body was found about 10 miles away. This follows news a Springdale girl was found dead early Sunday morning, April 30, after falling into a flooded creek.

Four other deaths are also being linked to the storms. Receding floodwater in Washington County revealed Sunday, April 30, a vehicle with a 76-year-old man's body inside. Cove Creek Pearson Volunteer Fire Chief Doug Deckard died after being struck by a car while checking water lines early Sunday, April 30. A woman died Saturday night, April 29, after a tree fell on her mobile home in the Arkansas County town of DeWitt. Also, a 24-year-old woman died riding an inner tube in a flooded creek in Eureka Springs Saturday, April 29, officials say. A canoeist on the Buffalo River was found dead over the May 6 weekend.

The tenth death linked to the floods was a woman found in Rock Creek in Little Rock Tuesday, May 9. The woman's husband said he and his wife were in a tent when it was washed away by the rushing waters. He was able to get to safety, but said he couldn't save his wife.

Many water rescues were reported across the state during the storms and the flooding that followed.

While power outages had a major widespread impact from these storms, the flooding turned out to be the most threatening as it reached historic levels. The Black River and White River caused catastrophic flooding in northeast and central eastern parts of the state. The town of Pocahontas got the brunt of it, as it was almost completely underwater at one point. Some lost everything. The American Red Cross sprung into action, and fellow citizens helped raise money for those in need. The floodwaters have finally receded for the most part, but the impact of these storms is one that won't diminish quite as quick.