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STORMS DAMAGE WALMART

Friday, October 30, 2009 10:48 AM CDT

Police Lt. Bob Rawlinson reported that part of the roof at the Walmart Supercenter on South Olive Street was damaged when a storm system blew through Pine Bluff just before midnight Thursday.

“It didn’t completely collapse the roof but the building sustained a significant amount of water damage,” he said.

The facade in front of the building was also ripped off, and Rawlinson said there were buggies scattered all across the parking lot.

“One car was turned over and there were buggies scattered all across the lot,” he said. “An ice machine that was full of ice that had been in front of the building was picked up and blown almost to the Murphy gas station.”

Rawlinson said a security guard at Walmart, who was patrolling the parking lot, was taken to Jefferson Regional Medical Center after the pickup he was driving was blown over by the winds, but the guard was reported to be in good condition Friday morning.

“There were light poles destroyed and a lot of the lights on the parking lot were blown out,” he said.

Rawlinson said police officers were stationed at the entrances to the building to keep people out, and another officer was at the front door, which had been blown off.

“Walmart officials said they hoped to reopen the business today but that may have to wait until the building gets inspected and there is the potential that it could be closed for a while,” he said. “Right now, we’re asking that people stay away from the area until we know it’s safe.”

He said the sign at Burger King on South Olive, adjacent to the Supercenter was blown down, and other businesses may have sustained damage, and utility poles were blown over and were sitting at 90-degree angles.

The steeple at First Assembly of God Church on Ridgway Road was broken off and bent over, and one of the pillars in front of the church was blown down and in the yard of the church, and there were trees down in front of the church, as well as further east on Ridgway Road.

“The steeple almost looked like a witch’s hat,” Rawlinson said.

Rawlinson said a house across the street from the church also had damage to the roof as the result of a tree falling on it.

Electrical service was out in a large portion of southwest Pine Bluff, and according to the Entergy Web site, 2,200 customers were without power at about 8:45 a.m.

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