Number of homes in Springdale damaged by tornado estimated at 60; utility says power should be back for all customers by 8 p.m.

Benjamin Churchwell (from left) and Randy Thompson of Monster Tree Service remove debris, Thursday, March 31, 2022 from a residential property along Don Tyson Parkway east of Turner St. in Springdale. Check out nwaonline.com/220401Daily/ and nwadg.com/photos for a photo gallery.

(NWA Democrat-Gazette/Charlie Kaijo)
Benjamin Churchwell (from left) and Randy Thompson of Monster Tree Service remove debris, Thursday, March 31, 2022 from a residential property along Don Tyson Parkway east of Turner St. in Springdale. Check out nwaonline.com/220401Daily/ and nwadg.com/photos for a photo gallery. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Charlie Kaijo)

SPRINGDALE -- An estimated 60 homes in Springdale received significant damage Wednesday morning when an EF3 tornado cut a five-mile path through the eastern part of the city, according Capt. Joshua Robinett, area commander of the Salvation Army.

Robinett said his information came from the American Red Cross, but John Brimley, a spokesman for the Red Cross, said Thursday that official damage assessment numbers -- including how many homes are damaged, individuals displaced and dollar figures -- are determined by local officials.

Colby Fulfer, the chief of staff for the city of Springdale, on Thursday said the city will work with the state Department of Finance and Administration to determine the estimated costs of the tornado damage to public property. Springdale Mayor Doug Sprouse and Washington County Judge Joseph Wood both issued disaster declarations Wednesday.


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Washington Regional Medical Center in Fayetteville on Thursday afternoon reported all patients with injuries due to the tornado had been released. Calls and email to Northwest Medical Center in Springdale were not returned Thursday. A Springdale police spokesman said Wednesday seven people had been taken to a hospital, two of them with critical injuries.

The tornado touched down in Johnson at 4:04 a.m. near the Northwest Arkansas Mall and ran for 5.2 miles before lifting at 4:12 a.m. to the east of the Springdale Municipal Airport, according to the National Weather Service in Tulsa, Okla. The tornado had top wind speeds of 143 mph, the service reported.

Social media users have reported alerts about the storm weren't sent until 4:11 a.m. Bart Haake, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, confirmed Thursday the Weather Service tornado warning was sent at 4:11 a.m.

Haake said the radar didn't give any indication of the tornado prior to it happening. He wasn't working Wednesday but said he consulted radar reports from that morning.

"It just popped up there suddenly as things in the environment of that type of storm do," he said.

Wednesday's storm was not the classic large super cell storm, Haake said. It was very small in comparison and was moving very fast.

The reports Haake reviewed showed the warnings were issued in proper sequence, he said. Weather Service notifications come to all cellphone users through the national Wireless Emergency Alerts System, Haake said. Tornado warnings, flash flood warnings and several other high-end warnings will go direct to wireless users in an affected county automatically if their device is compatible.

The storm also spawned a second tornado Wednesday, according to the weather service. An EF-1 tornado tore through a rural area of Johnson County about 3½ hours after Springdale was struck, said Willie Gilmore, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in North Little Rock.

He said the Johnson County tornado had winds of about 100 mph. It touched down about seven miles north-northeast of Hartman and went for 3.5 miles before lifting at 7:53 a.m. seven miles north-northwest of Clarksville. Gilmore said the tornado went through the community of Harmony but resulted primarily in tree damage.

Klay Rowbotham, deputy director of emergency management for Johnson County, said portions of Arkansas 103 and county roads 3390, 3290 and 3259 had to be cleared of debris Thursday.

"We had an old chicken house had some sheet metal ripped off, tangled up in power lines and all that fun stuff. That's about all we've had reported to us so far," he said. "So no injuries, no houses or anything like that damaged that we've been notified of as of this time."

The Weather Service crew in Springdale reported the tornado there was 350 yards wide.

The tornado developed south of Joyce Boulevard and east of Steele Boulevard, southwest of the Northwest Arkansas Mall, reads a report from Weather Service officials who came to Springdale.

The tornado neared East Emma Avenue at the Springdale Municipal Airport, where it appeared to dissipate, the Weather Service said.

James Smith, director of Public Works for Springdale, reported a door blown in and a wall torn off the city's shop building at the airport. He also reported damage to hangars owned by George's Inc. and Robert Squires.

Debris on the runway closed the airport Wednesday, but normal operations resumed that afternoon, Smith said.

The tornado damaged businesses, blew down trees, rolled a van and then moved across the western portion of the mall, the Weather Service report said. As the storm moved north-northeast from near the mall, the tornado blew down a cellphone tower and destroyed a building near Main Drive in Johnson, the report read.

Major portions of the roofs of several homes were blown off on Pagosa Street in Springdale, and a vehicle was flipped over in a driveway.

The tornado then destroyed the gym at George Elementary School, which was a metal building not attached to the school, and a home just north of the school, the weather service said. Wooden electrical poles were snapped nearby.

The Springdale School District reopened Thursday after closing Wednesday in order to assess damage to district buildings. Structural engineers deemed George Elementary safe despite the damage to the the kitchen and dining area, the district said in a statement. George Elementary has 64 staff members and 623 students. The school was the only district building to sustain damage in the storm.

About three-quarters of the Nilfisk Advance Inc. plant and warehouse at 979 E. Robinson Ave. -- also a metal building -- was destroyed as the tornado neared East Sunset Avenue, the Weather Service reported. The building sits on about 9 acres with an inside space of 200,000 square feet, according to the website of the Washington County Assessor's Office.

Scott Edmondson, vice president for economic development at the Springdale Chamber of Commerce, said the company makes equipment to clean industrial floors. The company did not return email inquiries Wednesday or Thursday.

Debris from the tornado was carried into Benton County, the report concludes.

The Red Cross sheltered three people Wednesday night in a shelter the organization set up at Journey NWA Church on South Mantegani Road in Tontitown. Brimley said the shelter will close a noon today.

Robinett reported a Salvation Army disaster unit delivered 150 meals Wednesday in the areas affected by the tornado and was working Thursday afternoon to make 200.

Southwestern Electric Power Co. crews continue to work to restore power to about 573 customers, reads a release from the company. At peak, approximately 9,000 customers in Northwest Arkansas were without power between 5 and 6 a.m. Wednesday, the report continues.

Customers on Arkansas 265 near Northwest Technical Institute and those between the Springdale Municipal Airport and South Turner Street can expect their service to return by 8 p.m. today, the release said.

The city has based a command center for volunteers at its Recreation Center on Cambridge Street. A team from the Southern Baptist State Convention Disaster Relief program is leading the effort. The group has about 50 volunteers in Springdale helping residents with cleanup and serving two meals a day at Cross Church.

City officials urge all residents who wish to volunteer for cleanup to go to the Recreation Center.

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reporter Bill Bowden and Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reporter Monica Brich contributed to this report.

 photo Melanie Vega, 10, (from left), Isabella Vega, 4, Zailey Vega, 1 and Evelyn Landaverde examine ceiling damage, Thursday, March 31, 2022 at their home along the 500 block of Lucian Ln. in Springdale. Check out nwaonline.com/220401Daily/ and nwadg.com/photos for a photo gallery. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Charlie Kaijo)

photo Crew members clear debris from the site where the George Elementary School gymnasium once stood, Thursday, March 31, 2022 at George Elementary School in Springdale. Check out nwaonline.com/220401Daily/ and nwadg.com/photos for a photo gallery. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Charlie Kaijo)

photo A damaged house is shown, Thursday, March 31, 2022 across from George Elementary School in Springdale. Check out nwaonline.com/220401Daily/ and nwadg.com/photos for a photo gallery. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Charlie Kaijo)

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