Tornado wrecks havoc in Arkansas

February 24, 2007

Dumas, Arkansas - A tornado wreaked havoc in the small southeast Arkansas town of Dumas on Saturday, heavily damaging buildings along the town's main thoroughfare.

"We all got on the floor," Bobbie Thomas, an employee at a Fred's store, told CNN affiliate KTHV. "All the debris was falling on us ... and I said, 'Lord, all I want you to do is save us today, because it's in your hands.'"

There were no reports of fatalities, but about a dozen people were reported injured, some seriously, Arkansas State Police Cpl. Ray Siggers told KTHV.

Along with the Fred's, several restaurants, a Mad Butcher grocery store and some nearby homes were leveled, KTHV reported.

Video footage from the scene showed several buildings rendered nearly unrecognizable. A sign for a street located a mile away was lying in the grocery store parking lot.

Earlier, the National Weather Service said it had received a report of cars in trees north of Dumas along U.S. 65.

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