Melisa Swearingen woke up early Sunday morning as a tornado destroyed her home in the northwest corner of Arkansas. As she ran down the stairs with her toddler, she looked out the window and saw a 40-foot tree falling toward the house.
“The whole house was shaking like a roller coaster,” Ms. Swearingen said in an interview outside her home. “I thought: this is it.”
But the tree crashed through a room above the family's garage, giving her time to gather her 7-year-old son. As another tree crushed the other side of the house, she, her husband and their children huddled in a first-floor bedroom. “I thought the house was going to be torn open and we were going to be sucked in,” Ms Swearingen, 35, said.
Nearby, Byron Copeland, 38, had sent his wife, their three children and the family dogs to the basement while he monitored the storm. Then came the terrifying bangs of exploding electrical transformers. “I ran to the basement like a little girl,” Mr. Copeland said. As they waited for the weather to pass, the family sang the lullaby “Jesus Loves Me,” he said.
The Swearingens and the Copelands were among the millions of families whose lives were turned upside down by the eruption of tornadoes that devastated parts of Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas and Kentucky over Memorial Day weekend. At least 23 people were killed, including eight in Arkansas.
One of the hardest hit cities was Rogers, Ark., a city located between Walmart's headquarters in Bentonville and Arkansas' largest state park. Nearly two-thirds of Rogers lost power. Fallen trees make it difficult to get around. And Rogers Mayor Greg Hines had to fight his way through the branches of a 120-year-old maple tree blocking his front door before he could take a helicopter ride over the damage.
“You could see the tops of the trees that had just been shaved off. I've never seen anything like it,” Mr. Hines said.
The tornadoes tossed trucks on their sides and tore apart buildings and homes. At nearby Beaver Lake, storms tore a 20-slip dock from shore, which was found floating in the lake with the boats still attached.
A tree at Fifth and Cypress Streets hit a fire hydrant, causing a geyser that flooded the road. And a 250-year-old catalpa tree was destroyed.
Mr. Hines said he hoped that by sundown on Monday all roads would have at least one passable lane, and that the city would open a command center on Tuesday to help people get housing and food assistance.
He estimated that more than 30,000 people in Rogers were without power, but that most of them could be back online within a few days.
People in Rogers said they were determined to recover and move on as a community.
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders visited the remains of the beloved Susie Q Malt Shop, which has been in business for nearly 64 years. Tornadoes had torn off the roof and knocked down walls, exposing the kitchen and soda fountain. There wasn't much standing upright other than the heavy steel freezer.
In a video of the rubble taken by a local photographer, packets of Oreo cookies were visible in cupboards with the tops blown off. One of the building's walls remained intact, with the Susie Q menu painted over it in pink and turquoise.
Mayor Hines said that even amid such widespread devastation, the loss of Susie Q was especially painful. “I was sent maybe 18 to 22 photos from voters,” he said. “Everyone belonged to this building – not their own home. That underlines what this building means to this community.”
In downtown Rogers on Monday, a city worker used a backhoe to remove branches and place them on lawns. Residents spent much of Memorial Day clearing the streets of debris and uprooted trees that had ripped apart pipes and pavement.
“We're just going to keep going,” said Will Swearingen, 40, Melisa's husband. He and his family plan to live in their home while they rebuild. “Chainsaws, water, oil, gas. That's all we need.”
Nearly two dozen members of the extended Swearingen family live in the historic Rogers neighborhood and participate in an annual Fourth of July parade through the neighborhood. Up to 300 people attend the celebration and follow the route on foot or on horseback, on lawn mowers or on golf carts.
As Mr. Swearingen's cousin, Scott Swearingen, 41, walked through a wilderness of shattered wood, leaves and houses, he pointed to two evergreens still standing. That place is true traditionally, a large American flag is draped for Independence Day. The storm will not change that tradition.
“One hundred percent, without a doubt, we will have a parade this year,” he said. “A hundred percent.”