ROGERS -- The city continues to recover from a tornado that hit two weeks ago.
Workers have hauled away between 100 and 130 dump truck loads of debris from residences each day for at least a week, Frankie Guyll, superintendent of the Rogers Street Department, said Friday.
"We have a long way to go," he said.
Residents who have storm debris for pickup may leave it on the curb, Guyll said. Mayor Greg Hines previously said the city would make one stop per residence affected by the storms.
Two tornadoes hit Northwest Arkansas on Oct. 21. The first tornado began in Adair County in northeast Oklahoma and tracked about 9.1 miles to the Siloam Springs area. That tornado recorded winds of 90 to 100 mph. The second storm started in the Siloam Springs area and traveled about 31 miles across Benton County to the area southeast of Avoca, according to the National Weather Service in Tulsa. That storm produced winds of 100 to 110 mph.
Rogers had the most storm damage between Eighth Street and Bellview Road and south of New Hope Road, Guyll said.
"I would have to tell you that as a lifetime resident, other than the 2009 ice storm, we have not seen in my lifetime a storm of this magnitude that left this type of devastating damage to our community," Hines said at a news conference a few days after the storm.
One man died not far from the city limits when a tree fell on his home during the overnight storms. At least 10,000 people in Benton County remained without power days after the storms.
More than 80 residential properties and 17 commercial properties had significant damage in Rogers, Hines said.
Rogers High School had roof damage on the main building and fieldhouse. Part of the roof peeled off the building along Dixieland Road, and rain caused water damage in some of the classrooms.
Charles Lee, assistant superintendent for general administration, said Thursday the roofs were patched so they wouldn't leak, and the school district is waiting on an insurance adjuster to evaluate the damage before making permanent repairs.
The district does not have an estimate for how much the repairs will cost, Lee said.
Most of the debris at school campuses has been cleaned up except for some trees the district will have to hire a company to take care of, he said.
Benton County officials met with officials from the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management last week, said Robert McGowen, administrator of public safety for the county.
If the state declares a disaster, then the county, affected cities, Carroll Electric Cooperative and the Siloam Springs Electric Department could be reimbursed for up to 75% of losses caused by the storm, McGowen said.
McGowen estimated the storms caused about $6 million in damage to public property, including about $3.5 million to Carroll Electric and $1.5 million to Siloam Springs Electric.
Hines said residents will have to report storm-damaged personal property to their insurance companies.
Benton County is also continuing its cleanup efforts, especially in Beaver Shores, an unincorporated community east of Rogers. Beaver Shores was among the worst-hit areas in the county, McGowen said.
"There's a lot of debris to be removed, and that's going to take a significant amount of time," he said.
Metro on 11/05/2019