Wednesday, February 06, 2008

7 Dead, So Far

There have been 7 fatalities confirmed in Arkansas as of 12:30 AM. From the rumors I am hearing, there will be more deaths confirmed tomorrow morning when the sun comes up. The above image was taken by Monty Collum. It's the tornado in Clinton just before it heads into Region 8.

This is the worst part of my job. I hate to hear about fatalities that were caused by storms. Especially fatalities within our viewing area. We have one confirmed in Region 8, with rumors of 4-5 more.
It's been a long day for me, but not nearly as long as those that were directly impacted by the storms. My prayers go out to them this evening.
I would chat more, but I'm sleepy.
Good night,
Ryan

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Awesome picture!
You guys did an incredible job once again this evening. Thank you once more for staying on air with the weather.
Hope your voice recovers tomorrow...lol

Karen H. said...

Good Morning Ryan,
I hate to hear of all those deaths. My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone who was affected by the deadly Tornadoes on Tuesday. It is hard job you have, but you do a great job at it. Just "THANK GOD" you are not one of those people who has to be the one to tell the Family about a death. That is the hardest job there I do believe. Get some much needed rest Ryan. You sure deserve it as well as Chris and Sarah. I cannot "THANK YALL" enough for being on air and keeping us informed of the weather. Just know that you are very appreciated in our house. Take care and God Bless You and Yours.

Karen Horton
Caraway, AR

Anonymous said...

Thanks and keep up the good work. I know that weather reporting is your job but you make us feel like you really care about each one of us. I know that you do. N.E.Arkansas and Greene county is very thankful that your with us.
I enjoy reading your blog often.

Jason H said...

So very sad :-(. I told all of my family and friends yesterday morning when they would call me, and ask me how bad it was gonna get, to keep an eye on the sky, and watch the news...."it was gonna get bad". Most everyone knew what was coming. Sometimes know matter what you know, or do, you can't stop mother nature.

Last I seen the death toll in Arkansas was around a dozen now, and over 40 in 5 states. Prayers. J.B.H

Anonymous said...

The loss of life and homes is horrible but it could have been much worse. Thank you and Kait for doing your best to make sure EVERYONE was aware of the weather that might unfold days before it hit. I hope you don't blame yourself for the loss of life, because you did all you could.
Thank you Sarah and Chris for doing what you do!!!

Stacy said...

My sincerest sympathies and prayers for the families in the tornado areeas.

Anonymous said...

I was impressed to see ALL of the Weather Team on site last night. It certainly did mean a lot to see Chris and Sara give up personal time to be there. I know it's their job, but it is definitely going "above and beyond".

Andrew said...

Quote from my Blog
"The weather crew at KAIT8 did an awesome job this evening as always, we are blessed to have such a great crew watching our skies! Kudos Ryan, Sarah, Chris and all the people behind the scenes."

Our thoughts and prayers go out to those families that were affected by these Super Tuesday Storms.

Anonymous said...

You did an incredible job last night with the weather coverage, Ryan. Thanks.

Anonymous said...

Ryan, you, Sarah and Chris did an awesome job with the weather, and with keeping us up to date on all the warnings and news pertaining to the storms.
I am sad that there were lives lost, but I do believe that if it wasn't for the excellent coverage that you guys provided, there would have been many more fatalities.
Our prayers will be with the families that have lost loved ones and the ones that have lost homes.
We appreciate all that you guys do!

Anonymous said...

Listened for hours to KAIT8 here in Nashville via internet feed while watching local TV news and kept in contact with K-Face on her 911 dispatch 6pm~6am shift who between many 911 calls in Mid-TN. was asking about Arkansas Region 8.

Many folks had tragedies in so many ways and it takes lots of prayers to get through it all.

Anonymous said...

My Profound Gratitude for the excellent job you and Kaits weather crew did on yesterdays storm reporting!!!
What a "Blessing you all are" and this Blog, to stay in touch with current weather...

Anonymous said...

I spent the day in the Zion area; this is about 5 miles from our house. A difficult day.

The tornado missed our house by 2.5 miles. Our friends who own a blueberry farm lost everything -- except their bass boat and truck to pull it. The boat is untouched & the truck just has a few dings. (You have the photo of their car, etc.)

Ryan, I spent some time talking to a man in Zion who only knew of the warning because of watching KAIT. He somehow survived by getting under a bed (I think that's what he said?). His house was '30s era and very small. I think I sent you a photo of it earlier. I don't know how he survived.

Please keep our rural communities in your thoughts and prayers, everyone. They have been especially hard-hit, and this is a very tough area for something like this to happen.

Anonymous said...

Ryan,

You and the rest of the crew just did a fantastic job keeping us all informed. I couldn't help but think of Jenn and the boys and everyone else's families during this time. They are always having to be alone without their spouses dealing with life and kids while you guys are out there keeping is informed and everything you can do to keep us safe. Thank you for doing such a great job. Trey Stafford did great, too. Heartfelt prayers are still being lifted up for those that are having to deal with a new way of life they didn't ask for or want.