620-plus homes damaged in May storms, state says

The Associated Press

A series of tornadoes that have swept across Arkansas since the beginning of May damaged more than 620 homes, destroying at least 120, state estimates show.

The latest tally by the state Department of Emergency Management comes as officials await word on whether the federal government will declare areas struck by the May 2 tornado outbreak disaster areas. If President Bush declines to sign off on the idea, officials likely will have to apply for different aid for victims of Saturday’s tornado that hit Stuttgart and Arkansas County, said Richard Griffin, the state’s disaster management division chief.

Griffin said the May 2 tornadoes caused an estimate $3.4 million worth of damage to roads, highway and other public structures. As of yet, there’s been no estimate on the damage done to Stuttgart, where workers continue to clear streets and haul away downed trees and power lines.

“It will be nowhere near that amount” from May 2, Griffin said. “I think much of the damage in Stuttgart and Arkansas County is going to be debris-related stuff.”

However, the tornado caused heavy damage at Stuttgart’s middle school and the high school saw damage as well. Officials with the Arkansas Division of Public School Academic Facilities and Transportation traveled Thursday to Stuttgart to inspect the damage.

Division director Doug Eaton said early estimates put repairing all the damage at about $3 million. However, Eaton said that estimate likely would change as insurance adjusters examine the damage further.

“We’ve got serious roof damage at the middle school,” Eaton said. “We know we’ve got to take part of the roof off at the middle school and put it back on.”

Tornadoes and storms killed seven people May 2, while Saturday’s storms caused only nine injuries, but tore down more than 300 power poles and 17 transformer towers.

The tornadoes were the latest blow to Arkansas after a string of storms that brought snow, heavy rains and flooding to the state since Feb. 5. But as flood waters recede in eastern Arkansas, Griffin said the state will not return to conduct more thorough reviews of home damage.

Griffin said most of the assessments came by air and the Federal Emergency Management Agency already accepted those numbers. State officials will, however, return to examine what effect standing water had on roads, pipes and other public facilities.

“It’s trying to get some feel for the damages, but at the same time, you’re not spending days and days out there not doing it,” Griffin said. “The process sometimes is less than complete but it at least it gives us a picture and FEMA a picture that there’s enough damage to merit perhaps assistance from the federal government.”

New estimates from FEMA on total damage done to public roads and projects through the end of April total $27.1 million. Matt DeCample, a spokesman for Gov. Mike Beebe, said the majority of that damage came from flooded roadways.

“All that sitting water, and in some cases rushing water, did heavy damage to state, county and city roads,” DeCample said.