NWS: Preliminary rating of Caraway tornado, strong EF-1

CARAWAY, AR  (KAIT) –  Weather officials say the storm that hit Caraway on Halloween night was a tornado.

The National Weather Service in Memphis has rated the tornado as a strong EF-1 in a preliminary report. NWS officials surveyed the damage Friday morning.

A curfew is still in place for the city until the power comes back on.

According to Entergy Arkansas, Inc., around 535 customers are without power in Caraway. Surrounding areas are also experiencing smaller outages.

Russell Harris, Customer Service Manager with Entergy said about 20 power poles were broken in the storm and lots of wires came down. Friday afternoon Harris said crews are working to repair a "main feeder circuit" in order to restore power. Those repairs may be completed by the end of Friday, Harris said.

Secondary lines will be continued to be worked on Friday through Saturday.

If you see wires on the ground anywhere, call 1-800-368-3749 to report it.

Craighead County Sheriff Marty Boyd said he believes everyone has been accounted for, and there were four people who sustained minor injuries.

A command post has been set up at the Caraway City Hall.

Several homes, businesses, and the First Baptist Church have been damaged.  Also some farm shops and grain bins had damage.

Riverside Superintendent Tommy Knight says Riverside Schools was closed Friday. There is an emergency shelter at the Caraway Senior Center, located at 401 North New York.

Storm damage has also been reported in Ripley County by the National Weather Service. Several cows died in the storm there. Some power lines and trees were also reported down in the area just north Naylor, Missouri.

This story will update information comes in to the newsroom.

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