SPRINGDALE -- About 30 residents have reached out looking for financial aid in restoring their homes after a March 30 tornado.
Representatives of the U.S. Small Business Administration and the Arkansas Division of Emergency Management set up their Disaster Outreach Center at the Springdale Recreation Center on Tuesday.
The Emergency Management Division reports 30 people have applied for grants by Friday afternoon, said LaTresha Woodruff, a spokesperson for the agency.
Colby Fulfer, chief of staff for the city of Springdale, reported roughly 165 homes were damaged by the storm.
The Small Business office provides long-term, low-interest loans up to $200,000 for damage to homes and $40,000 to replace belongings, reads information provided by the administration.
The state division offers grants for residents who are rejected for loans.
The center will be open to residents today and then again next week, from Monday to May 7. The deadline to apply for state assistance is Friday. The deadline to apply with the Small Business Administration is June 2.
Woodruff and Rick Tillery, a spokesman for the Small Business Administration, suspect these 30 people applied for assistance from both agencies at the same time.
The Small Business loan process takes about two weeks, Tillery said. And the state division will hold the application until loan status is determined, Woodruff said.
The law requires those affected by disasters to first apply with the Small Business Administration in every instance, Tillery said. He expected to see a few more people asking for assistance based on the size of the tornado, Tillery said.
Woodruff and Tillery think more people have applied online or over the phone.
Woodruff said the damage was localized and concentrated in certain areas, as opposed to other disasters his agency works.
The Small Business Administration assistance is available in Benton, Crawford, Madison and Washington counties in Arkansas and Adair County in Oklahoma, according to a news release from the administration.
Assistance can include home repairs, cleaning, household debris removal and personal property repair. Businesses, second homes, vacation homes, vehicles, sheds and outbuildings are not eligible for this program, Woodruff said.
Applicants must present several documents to apply for aid, including the homeowner's or renter's name, address of the damaged home, phone number, insurance information, Social Security number and a detailed description of damages, Woodruff said.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson on April 15 declared Washington County a disaster due to the damage caused by the EF3 tornado.