When the Ice Wouldn’t Let Go: A Polk County Winter

Sleet doesn’t just fall - it stacks. Layer by layer, it adds weight until even well-built structures reach a breaking point. Across Polk County, roofs folded, beams failed, and decades-old buildings gave way in a single night. In Mena, where aviation is part of the town’s backbone, a hangar collapsed under the load, trapping aircraft inside. Out in the fields, cattle stood shoulder to shoulder, ice crusted into their coats, breath rising as the storm refused to let go. This was rural Arkansas winter at its rawest - damage, grit, and quiet endurance.