Natural Disasters

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Multistory building with extensive damage
Brinkley Tornado of 1909
aka: Brinkley Cyclone
aka: Tornado Outbreak of March 8, 1909
Thirty-five people were killed and most of the town of Brinkley (Mo...
Aerial view of flooded town with trees in the distance
Flood of 1927
aka: Great Flood of 1927
aka: Mississippi River Flood of 1927
aka: 1927 Flood
The Flood of 1927 was the most destructive and costly flood in Arka...
Black man drives two mules and wagon through flooded city street, brick buildings, large sign for "Bull Durham Smoking Tobacco"
Flood of 1937
A cold, rainy January in 1937 set the stage for one of the worst floods—if not the worst—in Arkansas. Corr...
Flood of 1978
On September 13, 1978, a large rainstorm subjected much of central Arkansas to record-setting amounts of rainf...
Wooded parkland along flooded river
Flood of 2019
The flood along the Arkansas River that occurred in the spring of 2019 broke a number of high-water records an...
Houses in flooded fields with trees and debris
Floods
Floods are one of the most commonly occurring natural hazards in the United States. Their effects can be local...
Greenwood Tornado of 1968
On April 19, 1968, an F4 tornado touched down and caused immense damage to the city of Greenwood (Sebastian Co...
Rows and rows of mobile homes in fields as seen from above
Hurricane Katrina/Rita Evacuees
Following the destruction wrought by Hurricane Katrina in late August 2005, the evacuated population of New Or...
Lake with trees and foliage
New Madrid Earthquakes of 1811-1812
The New Madrid Earthquakes took place between December 1811 and April 1812 along an active fault line that ext...
Headlines "Big Fire in the East End" "Threatens to Destroy the Lampert Hotel and Adjoining Property--Several Cottages Burned." "Loss Will Be Heavy" "Fire Boys Unable to Cope with the Flames---Said to Have Originated in the Ferguson Home on East Second Avenue."
Pine Bluff Fire of 1907
Around eight blocks of eastern Pine Bluff (Jefferson County) were consumed in a fast-moving fire on February 1...
Headlines "Terrible Tornado. One Woman Killed and Ten Persons Injured. Many Homes Destroyed and Trees Uprooted"
Pulaski County Tornado of 1875
A strong tornado hit Pulaski County “eight miles down the river from Little Rock” on April 8, 1875, killin...
Headlines "Houses Are Crumpled As Though Toys Ten Killed and 35 Injured in Country Near Hot Springs Escapes are Remarkable Family in Cellar Sees Home Whirl Way---Sick Room Visitors Unhurt"
Thanksgiving Day Tornado Outbreak of 1915
At least twenty-two people were killed and scores were injured in an outbreak of tornadoes on Thanksgiving Day...
Headlines "Additional Local. The Great Storm. Fayetteville Almost Totally Destroyed. Two Persons Killed and Several Badly Wounded"
Tornado Outbreak of 1880
A series of tornadoes caused widespread damage in several Arkansas counties and killed at least seven people o...
Headlines "11 Die in Tragedy at Rural Arkansas Church" and "List of Casualties in Path of Storm"
Tornado Outbreak of 1939
Thirty people were killed and more than 200 injured in a deadly tornado outbreak that ravaged southern Arkansa...
Headline "Tornado Worst Disaster in Madison County History"
Tornado Outbreak of 1945
A series of tornadoes that struck Arkansas on April 12, 1945, killed twenty-two people and caused widespread d...
Tornado Outbreak of 2024
In the early morning hours of Sunday, May 26, 2024, during Memorial Day weekend, multiple tornadoes struck nor...
Tornado Outbreak of 2025
A violent storm system on March 14–15, 2025, spawned more than a dozen tornadoes in fourteen Arkansas counti...
Headlines "Storm's Death List in State to Total of 11" and "Many Sections Suffer Heavy Loss"
Tornado Outbreaks of 1938
A series of tornadoes killed twenty-one people, injured scores of others, and caused widespread damage across ...
Headlines "The Tornados Track. Fury of Last Thursday's Great Storm Becoming Known. John Neusch and Wife killed Near Hot Springs. Mr. Theodore Wilson Crushed in the Timbers of His Dwelling. Other Casualties of the Tornado--Relief for the Sufferers."
Tornado Outbreaks of April 1883
A series of tornadoes in April 1883 caused extensive damage in Garland, Hot Spring, Saline, Faulkner, and Fran...
White women and men with damaged buildings behind them, photograph labeled "Brinkley Cyclone"
Tornadoes
Tornadoes—destructive, violently spinning vortices of air extending from high within severe thunderstorms to...