Siloam Springs and the surrounding area is working to recover after being hit by two tornadoes and high winds on Oct. 21.
A total of 236 homes and 27 commercial buildings inside city limits had damage visible from the road, according to Christina Petriches, city finance director. About 1,000 electric customers inside city limits were also left without power after the storm, according to Phil Stokes, electric department director.
The first EF1 tornado touched down at midnight in Adair County, Okla., and cut a 9.5 mile path ending 2.5 miles southeast of Siloam Springs and the second EF2 tornado formed a few minutes later on the north side of town and tracked for more than 31 miles, ending in Rogers, according to the National Weather Service in Tulsa. In addition, straight-line winds of 80 to 85 miles per hour hit along with the storm.
As of Friday, the city's total cost for electric repairs caused by the storm was estimated to be $1.5 million, including materials such as poles and line, as well as labor and assistance from other departments, Petriches said. The cost for removing and disposing of storm debris was estimated to be $135,000, she said.
County Judge Barry Moehring issued an Emergency Disaster Declaration for Benton County on Monday, according to a press release from his office. The declaration allows cities affected by the storm to request aid from the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management, the release states.
Street department crews were out as early as 1 a.m. on Monday, less than an hour after the storm, clearing non-electrical debris from streets so electric crews could take care of downed power lines, according to Dennis Kindy, street superintendent. The crews worked for 14 hours straight without a break on the first day and are still working 10 hour days, he said.
By Thursday, about 30 customers in Siloam Springs remained without power, although Stokes said he hoped to have most electricity restored by the end of the day on Friday.
Trees knocked down power lines all over the city, but especially hard hit areas were Eastgate Housing Division, along Arkansas Highway 59 and Airport Road near the Siloam Springs Regional Airport, Country Acres and Waukesha Road, Stokes said. Between 75 to 80 electric poles had to be replaced, he said.
Electric crews from area departments such as the Grand River Dam Authority, Claremore, Okla., Skiatook, Okla., Tahlequah, Okla., Monett, Mo., and Clarksville helped restore power to Siloam Springs customers, Stokes said. Crews worked around the clock, ending their workdays at 2:30 a.m. only to come back in at 6 a.m., he said.
"We just really appreciate everybody's patience with us," Stokes said.
Outside the city limits, about 100 customers in Benton County were still experiencing outages on Friday morning, according to the Carroll Electric website. Initially, more than 9,500 Carroll Electric customers were without power, according to a report in the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
John Brown University allowed people without electricity to take showers at the Walton Lifetime Health Center throughout the week and Arvest Bank supplied dinner for people in the Stonecrest Subdivision on Monday.
The city is trying to coordinate volunteer efforts from area churches and organizations for people who need assistance, according to Holland Hayden, city communications manager. She said residents should watch the city's website, siloamsprings.com, for more information.
Many of the American Flags hanging on light poles along U.S. Highway 412 were damaged or disappeared when the light poles blew over in the high winds, according to Jerry Cavness, public information officer for American Legion Post 29, which maintains the flags. If flags are found, residents can contact the American Legion for proper disposal.
As the cleanup continues, city crews will be picking up storm debris inside city limits for several weeks, Hayden said. Residents can move storm-related debris to the curb, she said.
In addition, residents can burn downed trees and limbs only if they obtain a burn permit, Hayden said. Other types of debris, such as shingles or building materials, cannot be burned. Permits can be completed online at siloamsprings.com/burnpermit or by calling 479-524-3103.
General News on 10/27/2019