Storm cleanup
Winds leave downed trees, more damage at a local cemetery
The straight-line winds that blew through the area Tuesday night left a lot of damage, including numerous downed trees in a local cemetery.
Harmony Grove Cemetery on Line Ferry Road in Texarkana, Ark., suffered a lot of damage as a result of the wind, said Cemetery Association President Gordon Pierce.
“We had just done a cleanup there, and then this morning, it looked like a disaster,” Pierce said.
The cemetery, which is about 5 miles from New Haven Golf Course, dates back to the 1830s. The Edwards Family Cemetery is a private cemetery next to
Harmony Grove.
Pierce said about eight large trees fell in the storm Tuesday night, and numerous headstones were knocked over.
“We should be able to put them back up, but they are heavy, and we will have to get something to lift them with,” Pierce said.
A cleanup day at the cemetery has been scheduled for 9 a.m. Saturday, and anyone is invited to help.
The storm, which hit about 7 p.m. Tuesday, affected a large area in Southwest Arkansas and Northeast Texas.
Trailers were reported flipped over in Hughes Springs in Cass County, Texas, with one person injured.
Mario Valverde, a meteorologist with the NWS in Shreveport, La., said winds in Hughes Springs were recorded at 70 mph or faster. Reports of a tornado in the area were proved false.
“It was straight-line winds, but they can be just as devastating. They can blow things over just as easily,” he said.