Mayor Harold Perrin confirmed the injuries to CNN affiliate KARK after the tornado touched down on Saturday. Search and rescue crews are making a sweep through the area to look for anyone in need of assistance, Jonesboro Police Chief Rick Elliott said.
Images posted on social media showed broken walls, flattened commercial buildings and debris scattered across parking lots.
One picture showed a mangled vehicle in the mall parking lot. At the local airport, at least one airplane was overturned, and hangars were damaged. The mayor ordered a 7 p.m. curfew for the city located about 130 miles northeast of Little Rock.
The storm moved across Jonesboro around 5 p.m., according to a video posted by the National Weather Service in Little Rock. The police chief urged residents to stay home while debris is cleared out of roadways and other common areas.
“We’ve already asked you to stay at home for this virus but we’re really stressing to stay at home,” Elliott said.
Other tornadoes in Iowa
Tornado sightings were reported in Iowa in Black Hawk, Buchanan, Marshall Adams and Adair counties. The weather service map said power lines were knocked down and roofs blown off in Jackson County, Arkansas.
The states most at risk were Iowa, Missouri and Illinois.