'Please take us off your distribution list.' Why? 'The truck stop isn't here anymore.' Ron Sitton Trucker Staff As Vickie Deaton sifts through the wreckage of Honky's Truck Stop, she takes a minute to think about the future. "I don't know what I'm going to do," Deaton said. "I'm undecided about rebuilding." Deaton is the owner of the remnants of Honky's Truck Stop, exit 69 on Interstate 30 outside Arkadelphia, Ark. The stop was leveled by a March 1 tornado that either destroyed or damaged 500 homes, businesses and public buildings in Clark County. The tornado also killed six people and injured 100 others.
Shortly thereafter, Jim Burns, director of the Office of Emergency Services for Clark County, pulled up to what was left of Honky's. He found two semis lying in the debris. "Fortunately, the employees opted to close the business and get somewhere else for cover, so the building was empty," he said. Drivers Bob Turner of J.B. Hunt and Wesley Clayton of Millsap Brothers Inc. were also ok, Burns said. Charles Smith was working as a mechanic at Mid-Ark Auto Truck Plaza, exit 78, when the tornado sirens went off. He listened to his scanner and followed the tornado. "When I heard it hit Honky's, I went over (to Mid-Ark) and told everybody to take cover, but it hit the south part of town," he said. Deaton and the couple she leased the store to, Karl and Connie Landry (originally from Baton Rouge, La.), could only clean up the damage. Honky's had been in business for 18 months. "A lot of our truck driving friends just stopped by seeing how we were doing. We were just getting a lot of new business," Connie Landry said. "A lot of people didn't know we were here. The trees were in the way so they couldn't see us." Although the building was demolished, only two diesel pumps were damaged. Fortunately, none of the gas pumps were hit. Citgo recovered the undamaged equipment, and Don Smith of Peters Oil told Deaton he would help her find contractors if she decides to rebuild. More help came March 2 when students from Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, and others from as far away as Texarkana and El Dorado, moved debris and salvaged things not utterly destroyed. "I owe them a lot of thanks," Deaton said. "I plan on doing something for them when we get everything done." A "tremendous influx of volunteers" descended on Arkadelphia in the tornado's aftermath to help, Burns said. To deter looters, 250 National Guardsmen and 40 State Troopers were mobilized, he said. Burns said the city registered all volunteers and contractors at City Hall, since some people tried to scam the Arkadelphia residents. If anyone in the cleanup was found working without proper credentials, the National Guard or State Police told them to leave town, he said. In a bit of irony, five tree limbs fell around the house across the street from Honky's but did no further damage. Also undamaged were Deaton's home, the Landry's home, and Deaton's former truckstop, Southford, which belongs to her ex-husband. After being in the truckstop business for 11 years, Deaton is unsure whether she wants to continue. That uncertainty also causes the Landrys to operate on a touch-and-go basis. When asked what he plans to do if Deaton doesn't rebuild, Karl Landry replied, "I don't have any idea right now. I want to hit the lottery." Perhaps you know of Honky's Truck Stop but don't know how to contact them. You can drop a line to them at 3781 Highway 53 N, Okolona, Ar 71962. This story appeared in the March 17-30, 1997, issue of The Trucker. It's an overview of the March 1 tornado that tore across Arkansas. Among other things, it blew away the storage facility where all of my stuff was located. The issue also featured a police story about a CB feud..
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