Flash floods which swept through the Albert Pike Recreation Area near the confluence of the Caddo and Little Missouri rivers in Montgomery County on Friday, killing a reported 20 people and injuring scores of others, extended their terrible reach to three Hope-area families.
Killed in the flooding was Debra McMaster, 43, of Lewisville, a math teacher at Spring Hill High School for six years, who loved camping with her family in the wilderness.
McMaster died in the early morning hours Friday as torrential floods swept through camp grounds along the Little Missouri and Caddo rivers shortly before 3 a.m.
Her husband, Jerry, and two children, Erin and Claire, escaped, reportedly by climbing into a tree.
“I don't know how much of the details we have are accurate,” SHHS Principal Steve Britton said Saturday. “This morning we got word that, as the flood started, they got into a tree. She passed her two kids to her husband; and, it is my understanding, that a mother and a two-year old got to the tree, and she helped the mother and two-year old into the tree; and, then, she was swept away by the flood.”
Funeral services for Mrs. McMaster were conducted Monday at 2 p.m. at First Baptist Church in Hope, where the family are members. A. O. Smith Funeral Home in Stamps is in charge of arrangements.
Spring Hill Superintendent Dickie Williams said this morning that, while unconfirmed, Britton's account of the events are similar to his understanding of them.
Williams said school officials are not yet ready to decide on how Mrs. McMaster will be recognized by the district.
“At this time, we haven't had a chance to gather our thoughts,” Williams said.
“The lives of the people she touched in this community was a tremendous number,” he said. “The students loved her, and there was a large number of students and and a large number of faculty there last night.”
Williams characterized Mrs. McMaster as “a person who was extremely caring.
”“She went out of her way to make sure the needs of others were satisfied,” he said. “She was an exceptional math teacher. She loved her work.”
Williams said that when she was employed, he asked Mrs. McMaster why she chose to leave the pharmacy profession to teach.
“She said she felt like she had been called to be a teacher,” he said.
Britton said that, since classes have been dismissed for the summer, Spring Hill School officials will rely upon community support to help students cope with the loss.
“Our school counselor has contacted the ministers and youth leadership of the churches our students attend, and they are doing their part where this is concerned,” he said. “Within the Spring Hill community, the churches play a very large role. We feel very confident they there for the kids at this time.”
Britton said McMaster was “an excellent teacher” who thought of her students first and foremost.
“There were no other outside influences; all that mattered to her was the success of the kids and their well being,” he said.
McMaster taught in the Spring Hill Schools for six years and at Bradley for four years prior. She was a pharmacist for 10 years, having graduated from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock with a pharmacy degree, then she received her master's degree in teaching from the University of Arkansas at Monticello.
The Pete Norman family from the Washington-area escaped as debris from the floods washed against their borrowed camper.
“We woke up to banging noises against the camper,” Anita Norman said Sunday. “Actually, the camper belonged to a friend of ours, Mark Rosenbaum; and, if we had used tents, we wouldn't be here. The water got up under our camper and I had water in my Suburban, and it was higher on the knoll.”
Mrs. Norman said she, her husband, Pete, their children, Zachery, 12, Zowie, 11, and a friend of their son, Jace Newton, 13, all huddled in the camper.
“My son and his friend had been in a tent; but, they came into the camper Thursday night because of the lightning,” Mrs. Norman said. “Their tent washed 300 yards down the river.”
She said the camper was on a knoll above the river, and their campground was about five miles into the mountains.
“One minute the river wasn't there and the next minute, it was,” Mrs. Norman said. “It was horrible.”
She said the family waited anxiously until dawn before deciding to attempt to leave the area, but could not get out.
“The park ranger came down at about 8 that morning,” she said. “We were between the two rivers. We were in a dangerous spot and that was what the ranger said; that we couldn't get out.”
Mrs. Norman said the family waited, cut off from the world, until Saturday morning.
“The hardest part was not being able to let anybody know where we were,” she said. “We actually had family that came up to Langley on Friday morning trying to get to us.”
Still, family members were unable to receive word concerning them through the day Friday because cell phone service is poor in the Ouachita and Caddo mountains.
“I didn't know about going up there; because I know it's a disaster; so I guessed it was just best to wait here. But, oh, it is terrible,” Norman's sister, Velinda Norman Applegate, of Washington, said at mid-afternoon Friday. “A police officer called, finally, and said they had found them. This has been a mess.”
Applegate said her husband and son had joined the search earlier in the day, Friday.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Norman said the family simply waited.“
We stayed up all night Friday; I was up all night because I was afraid it would rain, again,” she said. “My son had nightmares all night. You can't believe the power of the water. It took chunks of pavement bigger than my Suburban and washed them away. We saw a dump truck that it picked up and threw around.
“I have a greater respect for water, now,” she said. “But, God plays a big part in our lives; and, I want to thank all the friends and family that were praying for us, because, if not for them, we wouldn't have made it.”
Arkansas State Police Sergeant Brady Gore and his wife, Gina, were also at the Albert Pike Recreation Area when the floods hit, and were able to get to safety, according to published accounts. ASP dispatch said Sunday that Gore had since returned to Hope but had gone back on duty to assist at the site of an airplane crash in Howard County. He was unavailable for comment at press time Monday.
A call center hot line for families still needing to relay information to authorities concerning loved ones who might
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Flash floods which swept through the Albert Pike Recreation Area near the confluence of the Caddo and Little Missouri rivers in Montgomery County on Friday, killing a reported 20 people and injuring scores of others, extended their terrible reach to three Hope-area families.
Killed in the flooding was Debra McMaster, 43, of Lewisville, a math teacher at Spring Hill High School for six years, who loved camping with her family in the wilderness.
McMaster died in the early morning hours Friday as torrential floods swept through camp grounds along the Little Missouri and Caddo rivers shortly before 3 a.m.
Her husband, Jerry, and two children, Erin and Claire, escaped, reportedly by climbing into a tree.
“I don't know how much of the details we have are accurate,” SHHS Principal Steve Britton said Saturday. “This morning we got word that, as the flood started, they got into a tree. She passed her two kids to her husband; and, it is my understanding, that a mother and a two-year old got to the tree, and she helped the mother and two-year old into the tree; and, then, she was swept away by the flood.”
Funeral services for Mrs. McMaster were conducted Monday at 2 p.m. at First Baptist Church in Hope, where the family are members. A. O. Smith Funeral Home in Stamps is in charge of arrangements.
Spring Hill Superintendent Dickie Williams said this morning that, while unconfirmed, Britton's account of the events are similar to his understanding of them.
Williams said school officials are not yet ready to decide on how Mrs. McMaster will be recognized by the district.
“At this time, we haven't had a chance to gather our thoughts,” Williams said.
“The lives of the people she touched in this community was a tremendous number,” he said. “The students loved her, and there was a large number of students and and a large number of faculty there last night.”
Williams characterized Mrs. McMaster as “a person who was extremely caring.
”“She went out of her way to make sure the needs of others were satisfied,” he said. “She was an exceptional math teacher. She loved her work.”
Williams said that when she was employed, he asked Mrs. McMaster why she chose to leave the pharmacy profession to teach.
“She said she felt like she had been called to be a teacher,” he said.
Britton said that, since classes have been dismissed for the summer, Spring Hill School officials will rely upon community support to help students cope with the loss.
“Our school counselor has contacted the ministers and youth leadership of the churches our students attend, and they are doing their part where this is concerned,” he said. “Within the Spring Hill community, the churches play a very large role. We feel very confident they there for the kids at this time.”
Britton said McMaster was “an excellent teacher” who thought of her students first and foremost.
“There were no other outside influences; all that mattered to her was the success of the kids and their well being,” he said.
McMaster taught in the Spring Hill Schools for six years and at Bradley for four years prior. She was a pharmacist for 10 years, having graduated from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock with a pharmacy degree, then she received her master's degree in teaching from the University of Arkansas at Monticello.
The Pete Norman family from the Washington-area escaped as debris from the floods washed against their borrowed camper.
“We woke up to banging noises against the camper,” Anita Norman said Sunday. “Actually, the camper belonged to a friend of ours, Mark Rosenbaum; and, if we had used tents, we wouldn't be here. The water got up under our camper and I had water in my Suburban, and it was higher on the knoll.”
Mrs. Norman said she, her husband, Pete, their children, Zachery, 12, Zowie, 11, and a friend of their son, Jace Newton, 13, all huddled in the camper.
“My son and his friend had been in a tent; but, they came into the camper Thursday night because of the lightning,” Mrs. Norman said. “Their tent washed 300 yards down the river.”
She said the camper was on a knoll above the river, and their campground was about five miles into the mountains.
“One minute the river wasn't there and the next minute, it was,” Mrs. Norman said. “It was horrible.”
She said the family waited anxiously until dawn before deciding to attempt to leave the area, but could not get out.
“The park ranger came down at about 8 that morning,” she said. “We were between the two rivers. We were in a dangerous spot and that was what the ranger said; that we couldn't get out.”
Mrs. Norman said the family waited, cut off from the world, until Saturday morning.
“The hardest part was not being able to let anybody know where we were,” she said. “We actually had family that came up to Langley on Friday morning trying to get to us.”
Still, family members were unable to receive word concerning them through the day Friday because cell phone service is poor in the Ouachita and Caddo mountains.
“I didn't know about going up there; because I know it's a disaster; so I guessed it was just best to wait here. But, oh, it is terrible,” Norman's sister, Velinda Norman Applegate, of Washington, said at mid-afternoon Friday. “A police officer called, finally, and said they had found them. This has been a mess.”
Applegate said her husband and son had joined the search earlier in the day, Friday.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Norman said the family simply waited.“
We stayed up all night Friday; I was up all night because I was afraid it would rain, again,” she said. “My son had nightmares all night. You can't believe the power of the water. It took chunks of pavement bigger than my Suburban and washed them away. We saw a dump truck that it picked up and threw around.
“I have a greater respect for water, now,” she said. “But, God plays a big part in our lives; and, I want to thank all the friends and family that were praying for us, because, if not for them, we wouldn't have made it.”
Arkansas State Police Sergeant Brady Gore and his wife, Gina, were also at the Albert Pike Recreation Area when the floods hit, and were able to get to safety, according to published accounts. ASP dispatch said Sunday that Gore had since returned to Hope but had gone back on duty to assist at the site of an airplane crash in Howard County. He was unavailable for comment at press time Monday.
A call center hot line for families still needing to relay information to authorities concerning loved ones who might
