Little Rock Arkansas hit by ‘catastrophic’ tornado, 600 people injured

Little Rock was hit by what's being described as a "catastrophic" tornado by meteorologists on Friday, March 31 as severe storms moved throughout Arkansas.

The day was active as Arkansas saw a powerful storm move through the state that saw several tornado warnings and potential tornados in other towns.

The tornado in Little Rock was confirmed around 2:25 p.m. over the Reservoir Road area. It went from Little Rock to Jacksonville.

There's been reports of lots of damage in the Little Rock metro area and we are working to confirm the extent of the damage.

At least two tornados have been confirmed as of 3:40 p.m.

UAMS officially declared a mass casualty event following the tornado. We are working to confirm any further injuries or deaths. MEMS is estimating at least 600 injuries so far.

Hospitals in Little Rock are reporting a surge in patients, which includes; CHI St. Vincent in Little Rock and Sherwood, Baptist in Little Rock and North Little Rock, and UAMS.

Mayor Frank Scott Jr. said he's been in contact Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders to request assistance from the National Guard.

And then Sanders activated the National Guard a little after 4 p.m. They will be deploying to areas that have been impacted by the storm.

The governor said they will "spare no resource to assist with response and recovery efforts for Arkansans impacted."

Pulaski County and Little Rock both declared a state of emergency in response to the damage sustained.

The mayor has asked residents of Little Rock to avoid a wide swath of the city, which was hit by the tornado and damaging winds.

The city has set up a temporary emergency shelter at Hall High School for anyone displaced by the storm.

Nearly 70,000 houses are without power in the Central Arkansas area, with over 54,000 houses without power in the Pulaski County area.

Damage has been reported from Little Rock to as far as Jacksonville.

READ MORE: https://www.wusa9.com/article/weather/little-rock-catastrophic-tornado/91-f2b6c0d9-b70c-433f-bbe1-9c4570038077