Faithful gather on Easter after last week's deadly tornadoes

MENA, Ark. -- Easter Sunday prayers were offered for victims of deadly storms that hit western Arkansas and the Southeast last week with signs of damage done by a tornado evident throughout St. Agnes Church.

A stained-glass window gaped open in broken spots and rainwater leaked down the back of a display showing Christ being led to the cross. Even among the bread wafers offered for Holy Communion, a small twig stuck out -- a remnant of the tornado Thursday night that blew through the Catholic parish and the rest of Mena, killing three people, injuring 30 more.

Despite the devastation in the small community, Bishop Anthony Taylor said he had no reservations in proclaiming that "God is good."

"Out of tragedy, really powerful things can occur," Taylor said. "God can use anything for his purposes."

Residents of Rutherford County in central Tennessee also were cleaning up Sunday from Friday's storms, which left two dead, seven hospitalized in critical condition, and more than 40 others injured, according to officials.

Mary Evans, center, whose home was destroyed by a tornado Thursday night, hugs Father Norbert Rappold, right, Sunday before Easter church service at St. Agnes Church in Mena, Ark. (MIKE WINTROATH ~ Associated Press)

A fund was set up for the Bryant family in Murfreesboro. Kori Bryant and her 9-week-old daughter, Olivia, were both killed, and husband John was hospitalized with a broken back, officials said.

In Arkansas, an early morning thunderstorm dumped torrents of rain on Mena, a Ouachita Mountain town of 5,700 people just across the state line with Oklahoma.

The rain soaked electrical linesmen working to restore power in Polk County and ran down tarps over damaged roofs, seeping into exposed homes. James Reeves, the county's emergency management coordinator, said the rain left standing water in the county's dispatch center and ruined its remaining equipment.

"We don't want to be forgotten about in a week or two," he said. "Unfortunately, it's going to be a long recovery for us."