Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Rebuilding Will Take Two Years

Rebuilding Arkadelphia will take at least two years, according to Jim Harris, director of press operations with the Governor's Office.

Harris was in Arkadelphia Thursday, May 1, to see how things were progressing following the March 1 tornadoes that destroyed a full third of the city.

He said only one person came to them with a problem about how things were going with the cleanup and restoration situation. This, he said, is a good sign, because it shows the people's needs are being met.

At this point, Harris said, Arkadelphia is in a tearing down and cleaning up process. This must be done before the rebuilding can begin.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) had $30 million in requests for financial aid, according to Harris. But, he said, it will probably take $100 million to clean up the damage done by the tornadoes of March 1.

These twisters started near Fulton in Hempstead County, traveled Interstate 30 to Nevada County, wreaking its havoc, before taking the interstate to Clark County, where the storms did the bulk of their damage.

The storms left six dead in Clark County, while 26 died because of them statewide with their 260 mile path of death and destruction.

As everyone remembers, the twisters left Nevada County and first struck Clark County in the Center Ridge community, an area hit by a tornado on May 31, 1996.

Several homes were damaged in this area by fallen trees, but no one was injured.

The storm jumped over the South Fork Truck Stop, next demolishing Honky's Truck Stop near exit 69 at I-30.

Then, the F-4 tornadoes struck Arkadelphia, packing winds up to 260 miles per hour.

Reports were of three separate funnel clouds touching down in the Arkadelphia area.

The damage, which destroyed much of downtown Arkadelphia, resulted in a visit from Pres. Bill Clinton, who was there with Gov. Mike Huckabee, FEMA director James Lee Witt and State Rep. Percy Malone.

All pledged their help in getting the area rebuilt and operational as quickly as possible.

Two months later, the destruction can still be seen. Landmarks no longer exist. Buildings, demolished by the swirling winds, have had the rubble cleared.

Still, the scars remain.

"We don't want people thinking the governor has forgotten them," Harris, originally from Arkadelphia, said. "We want them to know we're trying to help get their problems solved."

Some people, however, have fallen through the cracks, Harris said. These are people of all economic levels who had no insurance and did not seek help. But, he said, Gov. Huckabee is working to make sure their needs are met.

Harris also said there could be future legislation passed or addressed because of the tornadoes and resulting damage.

However, the 81st General Assembly did pass one major piece of disaster-related legislation during the session. In the past, it was illegal for counties to take county-owned equipment onto private property.

But, because of a new bill passed, counties can now take their equipment onto private land in times of disaster to help property owners clean up.

Arkadelphia's leaders must now decide how they want to rebuild the city. They have met with Hollywood producer Harry Thomason on possible designs for the downtown area.

While the city can be rebuilt in a few years, it will take most people a lifetime to get over the destruction of the March 1 tornadoes.