DIAZ, Ark. — A Diaz Police Department sergeant is on the mend after a terrifying encounter with an EF-4 tornado that swept through northeast Arkansas during Friday night’s violent weather outbreak. Sergeant Richard “Dickie” Morris narrowly escaped disaster when the twister, packing winds up to 190 miles per hour, lifted his patrol car and flung it several feet, landing it atop another vehicle in a nearby resident’s backyard.
Chief of Police James Thompson shared the harrowing tale on social media, praising divine intervention for Morris’s survival. With his radio torn out by the storm’s force, the sergeant used his cellphone to summon help. Thompson noted the mangled state of the patrol car as proof of a miraculous outcome, expressing relief that Morris is expected to fully recover. He called for continued support for the officer and others hurt in the widespread destruction.
The Diaz tornado was one of at least ten confirmed across Arkansas that night, with the majority striking the state’s northeast corner. Rated EF-4 by the National Weather Service, its 190 m.p.h. winds underscored the outbreak’s ferocity, leaving the small community grappling with the aftermath
