Safe house full

Storms hit Pea Ridge about 7:30 p.m. Monday, but there was little damage. A tornado watch was replaced with a tornado warning around 7 p.m. and when the storm sirens sounded at 7:12 p.m., the doors to the safe room on the High School campus opened.

People who were waiting outside quickly made their way inside - some carrying chairs, plastic boxes with food and drink, a man with a Boxer on a leash, a couple with a cat in a kennel, a young couple with two babies and two men with musical instruments. There were about 300 people inside, according to Keith Martin, assistant superintendent of schools, who was on site.

“There is no damage to our facilities,” Rick Neal, school superintendent, said. “I think everything was handled in an orderly fashion. Of course, some of the people (at the safe room) were standing outside watching everything. The building is exactly what it was designed to do - provide a safety net and comfort for our community.”

The building was constructed with federal funds on school property. There are specific rules for its use which include no pets, alcohol or tobacco.

“It is for short-term use for safety,” Police Chief Tim Ledbetter said, adding that there is no need to take many items inside. The capacity is slightly more than 800 allowing about two feet of space per person standing. There are a few chairs for elderly or infirm persons.

Police, fire and ambulance personnel received several calls including a one-vehicle accident on West Pickens Road when a truck went off the road into a ditch when the rain first hit. There was a report of a roof collapsed on a house on Henry Little Circle, but it proved to be false, Ledbetter said, although there was an elderly man who had fallen down and couldn’t get up.

There was a large tree down on a house on Pace Lane and one on East Harris Street, but no injuries were reported, he said.

Electricity to residences and businesses in town is provided by both Carroll Electric and Southwest Electric Power companies. Many neighborhoods were without power and street lights and businesses along North Curtis Avenue were without power. Both banks’ lights illuminated the otherwise dark night as both banks had generators.

“We were busy keeping an eye on our businesses because of the loss of power,” Ledbetter said. “We backed up the fire and ambulance personnel on a couple of calls.”

A dispatcher from Benton County Central Communications reported someone called in that they had found a man under a car and dragged him to a porch of a nearby residence. Although initially believed to possibly be from storm damage, it was discovered he was intoxicated. He was taken to jail.