At least five people are dead and 15,000 homes are without power after a rash of severe weather that tore through Arkansas on Monday.
The weather also spawned a tornado that struck an Air Force base, military officials said, and prompted the Arkansas governor to declare a state of emergency.
At least two people died in the severe thunderstorms in Faulkner County, county spokesman Stephan Hawks said early Tuesday morning.
On Monday night, Madison County Sheriff Phillip Morgan said the bodies of an elderly man and woman were found after flood waters swept away the couple's car on Highway 23 south of Huntsville, in northwest Arkansas. The deaths are attributed to rising flood waters along War Eagle Creek.
Also in northwest Arkansas, the Washington County Sheriff's Office confirmed the death of 38-year-old Consuelo Santillano, who authorities say was swept away by rapidly moving water across Highway 265 South.
And a tornado struck Little Rock Air Force Base in central Arkansas, damaging at least 16 homes and knocking out power to some parts of the base, military officials said.
Bob Oldham, a spokesman for the base, reported two minor injuries and damage to aircraft at the base. The number of aircraft and the extent of damage were not immediately clear, Oldham said early Tuesday.
In various parts of the state, the storms flipped over cars, damaged homes and knocked out power to tens of thousands, emergency management officials said. Some areas reported gusts of up to 70 mph, and heavy rains sparked flooding in a number of counties.
Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe declared a state of emergency Monday night "in response to the severe storms and flooding that have impacted Arkansas and are expected to continue in the coming days," according to a statement on the governor's website.
The declaration is retroactive to include storms that began on April 19, according to the statement. Beebe is planning to tour affected areas on Tuesday.
Emergency management officials said they received a number of reports of trees ripped out of the ground and cars flipped over in Garland County, in central Arkansas.
There were more than 15,000 homes in Garland County alone without power, said Joy Sanders, director of the county's emergency management.
The winds knocked over a mobile home near Hot Springs, trapping a person, Sanders said.
She said there were so many calls for assistance that there were not enough medics or ambulances to respond. The county called for assistance from neighboring counties, she said.
Fayetteville resident Steve Wilkes said rain has fallen nonstop for several days. Though his house was spared damage from a nearby flooded creek, Wilkes said some of his friends are suddenly dealing with flooded basements.
"I've lived her for more than 20 years. I've never seen anything like this in my life," Wilkes said Tuesday.
"I saw water 2 to 3 feet deep across roadways that have never flooded."
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