“I love the way our community has come together!” – Randy Duncan

Unbroken

“I love the way our community has come together! As a result, we’ve made amazing clean-up progress,” Randy Duncan said with authenticity. 

He and his family were out of town, in Branson, when a group of twelve tornados simultaneously attacked Benton County, Arkansas very early Sunday morning, the day before Memorial Day.

“We had just settled back in our hotel room at about 1:30 a.m. when I got a call from my sister,” Randy explained. “She asked if we were alright. I said, ‘Yes. Why?’ Then she told me our community had been hit by a gaggle of tornados.”

Randy and his family stayed for the rest of the night in their hotel room. They needed the rest, as they had spent the evening enjoying a concert and knew they’d need a lot of emotional and physical stamina to deal with whatever awaited them back home.

Luckily, when they got home in Rogers, they found their home in tact, but buried in green debris.

“I was able to get my chain saw out to cut the broken trees strewn across my property,” he continued. “When I got all that debris piled up I finished checking my home’s structure. We were lucky!”

Roger’s father lives about two miles away and he was not as lucky. His home was positioned at the start of a F2 tornado that flowed east for 1.8 miles. That funnel went on a rampage from his house through thousands of businesses and homes leaving destruction along its entire path. That single tornado was a major destructor. But, it wasn’t alone.

There was a F3 tornado just up the road that set a record for width in Arkansas. It was 1.8 miles wide and it left the town of Decatur obliterated. Thad Eiland’s eyes were filled with sadness when he added, “It completely destroyed businesses, homes, barns, shops, crops and animals.”

“Benton County looks like a war zone,” Randy continued. “There is so much loss. Businesses are gone. City Halls are gone. Homes are gone. But our community stands. We are ok. But so many, SO MANY, are not and our souls ache from experiencing this devastation to our community.” 

The destruction was confirmed by a Rogers City police statement saying that conditions remain dangerous because of 1,200 downed power poles and gas leaks. They asked people not to come into closed areas while professionals work over days, weeks and months to make hardest hit areas safe again. Their official statement continued.

“What can you do? Check on your neighbors. Make sure they’re okay.” 

And, that’s what neighbors have done and will be doing for a long time!

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