By Martin Couch
Nearly 22,000 Entergy customers in Bryant were without electricity during the afternoon heat on Thursday due to powerlines being knocked down by what the National Weather Service called straight-line winds from a thunderstorm around 1 p.m.[more]
"We heard the thunder and then the power went out," said Knollwood resident Louise Whitley. "The wind blew really hard and it rained, but we didn't have any power."
Knollwood is a trailer park located on the Saline County side of the county line in Alexander. However, up Highway 5 north to Bryant, damage was evident in blown down trees and debris scattered over the roadway.
"We sat here for a long time without power, but our neighbors checked on us," Whitley said.
Entergy crews worked through the night repairing downed power lines in the area and restoring power to Bryant residents after Thursday afternoon's storm. As of Friday morning, nearly all of the 22,000 were back in service but more storms were forecasted in the area due to a stalled out cold front in south Arkansas.
