Central Arkansas continues clean up from devastating tornadoes

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Clean up continues after devastating tornadoes rocked central Arkansas on Friday and local businesses are offering many ways to give and receive help.

As of Sunday evening, 18,062 Arkansans were without power and over 15,000 of them were in Pulaski County.

To help residents and emergency personnel stay connected, Comcast’s network of Xfinity WiFi hot spots are now available for anyone to use including non-Xfinity customers for the next 14 days.

There are also several locations open that are providing supplies including food, water clean up supplies, tarps and more for residents affected by Friday’s storms.

Locations include the following:

North Little Rock – Levy Baptist Church
Sherwood – Sherwood City Hall
Sherwood – Sherwood Police Station
Sherwood – Sherwood Senior Citizens Center
Jacksonville – 1000 block of School Drive
Jacksonville – 100 block of Victory Circle
Jacksonville – Convoy of Hope at 320 S Oak Street
Jacksonville – First Baptist Church at 401 N 1^st Street

McDonald’s is also helping by serving thousands of free, hot meals to Cross County residents impacted by the storms that ripped through the city, causing significant damage.

There will also be a Tornado Relief food distribution on Monday April 3 at Highland Valley UMC on Chenal Parkway at 12 p.m.

On Sunday, President Joe Biden authorized FEMA to provide financial aid to cover temporary housing, repairs, and related recovery costs to individuals. As part of this authorization, the state and local governments in Pulaski, Lonoke and Cross counties are eligible for assistance with debris removal and emergency efforts.

“The phenomenal response to this catastrophic event started with the courageous and capable efforts of our first responders, and it has continued with the help of countless city workers, friends, families and volunteers,” Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr. said. “We’re humbled by the outpouring of support for our city, and we’re grateful to the President and FEMA for the quick action to open up disaster assistance to our residents.”

According to city officials, an estimated 2,983 structures in Little Rock were impacted by the EF-3 tornado, which tore a 6.54-mile path through the area. So far 50 injuries have been reported in Little Rock.

According to FEMA, residents or businesses who sustained damages can apply for assistance at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling (800) 621-FEMA.

Due to the extensive damages, officials with Waste Management have said they are expecting service delays in the affected areas.

Officials said that they can only provide service in the areas that are safe to operate commercial vehicles; however, they will make every attempt to recover recycle, garbage, and replace carts as quickly and safely as possible.

from KARK https://ift.tt/tirJ3DC