SPRINGDALE -- Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Thursday said the state's assessment of the damage a March 30 tornado left in Springdale should be completed next week.
Hutchinson toured the damaged areas and spoke to reporters Thursday morning at the site of the Nilfisk plant, which the tornado destroyed.
The governor said the cost of the damage won't meet the guidelines for federal assistance. Inspectors from the Arkansas Division of Emergency Management will travel to Springdale next week to determine if the damage is enough to garner help from the state's emergency funds.
He cautioned the money will not be enough to recover all of the loss, regardless. Those without insurance will struggle, he said.
The National Weather Service in Tulsa reported an EF-3 tornado touched down in Johnson at 4:04 a.m. March 30 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 mph.
Injury counts were low, with no deaths and only seven injuries reported to the officials.
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 damaged the kitchen and dining area.
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.
Hutchinson on Thursday praised efforts of city and county leadership for their work clearing debris.
"The governor was one of the first calls I got before daylight," said Mayor Doug Sprouse, of the morning of the tornado.
Both Sprouse and Hutchinson said officials can see the damage more easily now that some of the debris and fallen trees have been removed.
"What's important is to do the right assessment," Hutchinson said. "We're in the first stage of recovery,"
"We still have a lot to do," Sprouse said.