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 Nilfisk-Advance 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.
The total dollar cost of the damage must meet a certain threshold on a points system before the residents of the city are approved for money, explained LaTresa Woodruff, a spokesman for the division.
Damage to facilities will be graded on a points system, with four points for destroyed and two points for minor damage and no points to structures just affected, according to the state guidelines for the assistance program.
A county must earn 125 points in a damage assessment to trigger a state emergency declaration by the governor, Woodruff said. Both Mayor Doug Sprouse and Washington County Judge Joseph Wood declared the storm-ravaged areas as disasters on the day of the tornado.
Insurance coverage, income levels and other factors are taken into consideration as declaration criteria for the State Individual Assistance Program. An emergency declaration will be requested through the governor's office if the area reaches 125 points, Woodruff said. The declaration will trigger the individual assistance.
The state's disaster assistance covers basic needs and will not compensate entire losses, Hutchinson said Thursday. Those without insurance coverage to make repairs will struggle, he said.
The state also offers public assistance to government entities that receive damage. Hutchinson said the city and the school district will not be eligible for funding because both have insurance that will cover the cost of their damage.
A wall and part of a roof blew off the city's maintenance shop at the Springdale Municipal Airport during the tornado. The gym of George Elementary was destroyed, and the school's cafeteria was heavily damaged. A school district spokesman on Thursday said an accounting of the damage would not be available for several days.
The National Weather Service in Tulsa, Okla., 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.
David Stout, 31, is reported in stable condition at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock, according to a hospital spokesman. He was transported to the higher-level trauma center due to the serious nature of his injuries suffered during the tornado, Sprouse said. Three trees fell on his mobile home at Woodridge Estates Mobile Home Park on Powell Street.
Hutchinson announced that representatives of the federal Small Business Administration will travel to Springdale next week to survey the damage.
The federal program can provide disaster assistance loans for businesses, public and nonprofit agencies, homeowners and renters, Woodruff said.
Bill Rogers, president of the Springdale Chamber of Commerce, said a survey by chamber staff found fewer than 50 businesses received damage -- "and that's everything from a few shingles torn off to Nilfisk," he said.
He noted the tornado's path mostly traversed residential areas.
About three-quarters of the Nilfisk-Advance plant and warehouse at 979 E. Robinson Ave. was destroyed.
Rogers said the company -- which makes floor cleaning equipment -- will temporarily relocate in Springdale.
Brashears Furniture on South Thompson Street suffered significant damage in the warehouse located behind the showroom. The company also is looking for alternate warehouse space, Rogers 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 in a driveway.
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. Hutchinson also had reviewed drone footage taken by the Springdale Police Department to record and assess the damage.
"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.
Ozark Regional Transit Authority is working to create a new bus route to help tornado victims. Joel Gardner, executive director of the transit service, said Thursday that friends who have volunteered with cleanup in the area brought the idea to him.
Some residents' cars were mangled by trees and wind as they set in driveways during the early morning tornado, and the residents have no way to get food or supplies.
"They felt trapped," Gardner said. "They lost their sense of independence."
The bus route would begin at the Ven Mart convenience store near the damaged areas on South Powell Street and stop at the Walmart Supercenter on South Pleasant Street, where riders could connect with the rest of the transit system's routes.
The bus then would travel to the Lowe's home improvement store on West Sunset Avenue.
The stops for this route would be limited, but riders could walk to other businesses near the stops, Gardener noted.
The route will run from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., leaving every 30 minutes from Powell, Gardener said.
He said he hopes to start the route Monday.
Hutchinson Recalls 1970 Tornado in Springdale
Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Thursday expressed commiseration with the tornado victims. He was in Springdale surveying the damage left by an EF-3 tornado that hit parts of Springdale on March 30.
The last devastating tornado to hit Springdale came on June 11, 1970, leaving one man dead. The storm, also an EF-3, destroyed a Piggly Wiggly grocery store on West Huntsville Avenue and ravaged the Elmdale Manor subdivision next to the store.
A Steele Canning plant on North Thompson Street also was destroyed.
Hutchinson had graduated from Springdale High School and was a college student home on summer vacation from the University of Arkansas when the tornado hit, he said
Hutchinson’s brother, former Sen. Tim Hutchinson, was working at the Steele plant when the tornado hit, but he was unhurt, Asa Hutchinson reported.
— Laurinda Joenks
Gov. Asa Hutchinson walks Thursday, April 7, 2022, past piles of debris after touring tornado damage at Nilfisk-Advance in Springdale. The business was heavily damaged after a tornado touched down early in the morning of March 30. Visit nwaonline.com/220408Daily/ for today's photo gallery. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Andy Shupe)
Gov. Asa Hutchinson (left) speaks Thursday, April 7, 2022, with officials in front of piles of debris after touring tornado damage at Nilfisk-Advance in Springdale. The business was heavily damaged after a tornado touched down early in the morning of March 30. Visit nwaonline.com/220408Daily/ for today's photo gallery. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Andy Shupe)Gallery: Hutchinson tours Springdale tornado damage
