The snow and ice coming through Saline County, Arkansas on January 23rd and the next day or so were magical. But the aftermath was damaging and even devastating for some. The weight of the ice on rooftops in particular took its toll on several structures throughout the county.
The pictures and video are pretty amazing. We posted them to Facebook, but we also grouped them together here for those who don’t have Facebook. Click an image or text to go to a larger version or to video of the scene.
Everyone purchased their milk and bread and set out their bowls to make snow ice cream and various other types winter weather prep. The community was ready for snow, and it was beautiful.
But on Sunday, January 25th, the situation began to collapse – literally. Murphy USA in Benton lost their canopy above the fuel pumps. Riverside Grocery in Benton lost the roof to their deck, and Haskell Hardware had their whole roof fall in so they had to close. Next we saw Silver Springs Country Club in the Haskell area had its golf cart shed twisted completely apart.
Silver Springs Country Club in Haskell/Benton area
We also saw Thomas Arena at the Saline County Fairgrounds fall inward and topple the huge steel beams. The Fair Board had events scheduled in the rodeo arena all through February, so they have some reorganizing to do.
Thomas Arena On Saline County Fairgrounds
Security Footage of Thomas Arena Collapsing
Drone Footage of Thomas Arena Collapsing – start at 00:32 in the video
Next we saw Tacos for Life on Alcoa Road lose their patio. The flat roofs just could not handle 6 inches of ice.
Another big blow was a building in downtown Benton that fell in on itself, crushing a pool hall that had been there for decades, under various ownerships. Thankfully, there was no one in the building.
However, there were several people in a medical clinic in another section of the building. The following videos are from several angles – a vehicle that had just driven by, the surveillance camera high on the Saline County Courthouse, and drone video then drone video from just minutes later. The entire building would be razed in a few days.
Surveillance Footage of Building Collapse in Downtown Benton
Video of the Buildings Collapsing on West Sevier Street
Video of Collapsed CJ’z Downtown Billiards in Benton
West Sevier Street in Downtown Benton
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