A powerful storm moving through Baxter County and the surrounding Twin Lakes area on Saturday afternoon caused significant power outages, leaving thousands of residents without electricity.
North Arkansas Electric Cooperative (NAEC) experienced a peak of 3,116 customers without power. As of 3:30 p.m. Saturday, approximately 2,100 of its members were still without service. NAEC officials estimate full restoration could take two to four hours and report that restoration efforts were underway across all three of the co-op's operational districts.
Baxter County accounted for 2,691 outages under NAEC’s service area at the height of the disruptions. Marion County reported 321 outages, Fulton County had 176, Izard and Sharp Counties each reported 314 outages, and Stone County had 264, according to cooperative officials.
The most severe outage under NAEC's coverage occurred in the Henderson area, which the cooperative attributes to lightning. A separate outage affecting 500 members in the Ozark Acres area was caused by a tree falling on power lines.
NAEC crews restored service to around 1,000 customers Saturday afternoon and continue to address remaining outages. The cooperative encouraged members to report outages via its mobile app or by calling (870) 895-3221. Updates are being shared on NAEC's Facebook page.
Entergy Arkansas also reported several hundred outages across the region. The utility said 615 customers in Baxter County lost power during the storm. Marion, Sharp, and Stone Counties reported 309, 223, and 262 outages, respectively.
As restoration work continues, officials urge residents to exercise caution around downed lines and to report issues promptly through official service channels.