SPRINGDALE -- The city needs residents to report damage their homes or businesses sustained in the Wednesday morning tornado.
This will help city and state officials determine how much damage the tornado caused and request funding to help residents and business owners recover from the storm.
Reports may be made through the city website, by phone or in person. Insurance companies will submit assessments for the properties they cover.
Colby Fulfer, the city's chief of staff, reported Friday that the city's unofficial estimates note 400 homes and 25 businesses received some form of damage -- probably 100 severely.
Representatives of the state's Division of Emergency Management will come to Springdale on Monday to help staff assess the damage, Fulfer said. The state workers also will help city officials begin the processes to request funding to help residents and business owners, he said.
The National Weather Service in Tulsa reported an EF-3 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. The tornado cut a 350-yard path through neighborhoods and businesses with top speeds of 143 miles per hour.
Casualty counts were low, with no deaths and only seven injuries reported to the officials by 10 a.m. that day.
Even two days later, the counts remained the same, said John Luther, director of emergency management for Washington County.
Southwestern Electric Power Co. reported just 38 customers were without power at 5:30 p.m. Friday.
Capt. Jeff Taylor, a spokesperson for the Springdale Police Department, said only portions of Old Missouri Road remained closed.
The sound of chainsaws filled the air Friday as workers, neighbors, family and friends worked to restore those damaged homes.
Trucks bearing logos of roofing companies, restoration companies, contractors, landscapers, insurance companies and even the city cruised through damaged areas Tuesday morning.
"The people are busy moving debris from their homes trying to return to normal," Fulfer said. "They're not concerned about the city's data. It's not in the front of their minds right now. But we'll get it."
James Smith, director of the city's Public Works Department, noted Friday that the city has deployed four heavy-duty trucks as well as other equipment needed to lift debris residents are stacking next to the street.
Smith said it will take the city some time to clear all the debris.
Fulfer said the city also has set up city-owned land on McCollough Street for residents to drop off debris. The city also has mobilized hundreds of volunteers through the Southern Baptist State Convention Disaster Relief program, headquartering at the city's Recreation Center.
"We're doing everything we can think of to take some of the pressure off these families," Fulfer said.
Mayor Doug Sprouse and County Judge Joseph Wood took the first steps to help residents by declaring the areas hit by the tornado as emergency areas, said LaTresha Woodruff, a spokesman for the Division of Emergency Management.
If the damage exceeds the capabilities of local government, a state declaration will be requested through the governor's office, Woodruff said. The state's disaster assistance covers basic needs and will not compensate entire losses.
State officials in Springdale will help determine if the city qualifies for funding from either the state or federal governments, she said.
The total dollar cost of the damage must meet a certain threshold before the city is approved for funding, Woodruff said. To determine payout, the damage is figured with a per-capita amount based on the 2020 census.
Woodruff said the formula goes even further based on the numbers of insured and uninsured property owners affected.
Another dollar threshold for damage and another formula pertain to assistance from the federal government.
Individuals needing immediate assistance, having immediate problems should look to local organizations like the Red Cross, Salvation Army, churches and more, Woodruff said.
When asked how he was feeling Friday, Sam Douahgdara said, "Exhausted."
A representative of a service company was waiting to document the damage to Douahgdara's home on Southfork Street.
Douahgdara said his main memory of the storm is banging. He thinks one bang was his fence pulled away and another his roof.
He then looked outside and saw his kids' swing set missing, he said. "And I knew something bad had happened."
A tarp covered his roof Friday. Creek banks behind his house looked like a junkyard with many different types of debris. A food truck Douahgdara and his family run was moved about 3 feet across the driveway.
Elvis Ricke, the owner of Executive Waste Solutions, was working Friday to remove debris and limbs from duplexes he also cleans when tenants move out.
At the top of the pile of debris in his truck was a small, red, plastic chair, probably from George Elementary School four blocks away. The school lost its gym and had heavy damage to its cafeteria.
"Just seeing these people with their homes all torn up ...," Ricke said. "And when you think of what they're going through ... you don't even really know where to start cleaning."
Nicholas Ramero worked with friends Friday to cut up a large tree that fell on the bathroom of his mobile home. Despite the lack of utilities and 40-degree temperatures, he and his family are staying in the house, he said.
He said he did not hold insurance on his home and only liability on his car, which remained under a tree.
Ramero said he didn't know what to do.
"Maybe I'll fix it myself. There are a lot of construction workers on this street," sweeping his arm to indicate his street in Woodridge Estates Mobile Home Park.
Residents said Friday how much friends and neighbors have stood together.
Stella Bahe, 82, wants her son to find her a new fifth-wheeler and return to the community.
"That's exactly where recovery starts," Woodruff said. "With neighbors and family and friends and church groups helping each other."
Videos of storm damage: