A significant and deadly tornado outbreak occurred on May 24th, 2011 as a powerful upper-level storm system moved into the central plains. As a dryline moved east into western Oklahoma, the atmosphere became extremely unstable by late afternoon. On this night, a massive EF-4 tornado, more than a mile-wide, carved close to a fifty mile path of carnage through Arkansas, claiming five lives in Franklin and Johnson counties. The twister practically wiped the small communities of Denning and Etna off the map.Victims were forced to try and pick up the pieces and move on after mother nature's devastating blow.
Where homes once stood, small mountains of lumber and loss sat after this storm, and people were forced to live out of trailers and tents.
The tornado hit the area about 12:15 a.m., and it continued to the northeast.
Residents of both Denning and Etna had no warning other than if they were watching the live weather coverage.
