SPRINGDALE -- The city of Springdale says it needs residents to report damage to their homes or businesses from the tornado that struck Wednesday morning.
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, officials said.
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 had some form of damage -- with probably 100 severely damaged.
Representatives of the state's Division of Emergency Management will go to Springdale on Monday to help 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.
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.
James Smith, director of the city's Public Works Department, said it will take the city some time to clear all the debris.
When asked how he was feeling Friday, resident Sam Douahgdara said, "Exhausted."
Douahgdara said his main memory of the storm is banging. He thinks one bang was his fence pulling 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."
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.
"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."