BENTONVILLE -- Initial damage assessments for storms that hit Benton County early Monday morning came in at a little more than $6 million for uninsured public property, a county official said Friday.
Robert McGowen, public safety administrator, received the assessments from the county, Cave Springs, Highfill, Rogers, Siloam Springs, Siloam Springs Electric Department and Carroll Electric Cooperative. Most of the damage -- $5 million worth -- involves the two electric companies, he said.
Arkansas Department of Emergency Management staff will be in Benton County next week to do preliminary damage assessments, officials said.
Two tornadoes ripped through the county early Monday morning, adding to damage from heavy flooding earlier this month.
Barry Moehring, county judge for Benton County, issued two emergency disaster declarations for the weather events.
"If we meet the threshold for a state disaster, the governor declares a disaster for Benton County and any other county that meets the threshold," McGowen wrote in an email. If damage totals from all counties add up to at least $4,461,355, then a request is made by the governor for a presidential disaster declaration through the Federal Emergency Management Agency Region 6 office in Texas, he said.
The federal agency would then send representatives to the county and visit a percentage of sites submitted, McGowen said. If the agency agrees with the amounts provided, it accepts the totals provided by the county. If it doesn't agree, every damage site is visited, he said.
An Arkansas Emergency Management staff member will survey tornado damage in the county and cities on Monday, and another will look Tuesday at damage caused by the flooding, Moehring and McGowen said.
Siloam Springs officials have confirmed damage to 234 homes and 27 business or commercial buildings, said Holland Hayden, city communications officer.
The tornadoes produced wind exceeding 100 mph, according to Pete Snyder, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Tulsa.
Snyder said the first tornado began in Adair County in northeast Oklahoma and tracked about 9.1 miles to the Siloam Springs area. That tornado reached recorded wind speeds between 90 and 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, he said. That storm produced 100-110 mph winds.
The storms claimed the life of one man. County Coroner Daniel Oxford said Leonard Pollock, 66, died when a tree fell on his home on Pleasant Ridge Road, east of the Rogers city limit.
Rachel Smith and her family are in recovery and cleanup mode after their home was destroyed by one of the tornadoes. Smith and her two young sons rode out the storm in the master bedroom closet in their home on Andria Circle near Siloam Springs. Her husband, Jason, was out of town.
Smith said she received a weather alert on her phone about 12:03 a.m. She got the boys and the family's two dogs into the closet. Waiting for the tornado to pass felt like forever, she said.
"It was just so windy," she said. "I am amazed we weren't hurt. I just laid over the boys and prayed."
She said a veritable army showed up Monday to help salvage what was left. The 2,800-square-foot home was finished in April 2018, Smith said. They will rebuild their home, she said.
There were still pockets in the county without power Friday. Siloam Springs had 27 customers without power that morning, Hayden said. Nancy Plegge, a spokeswoman for Carroll Electric Cooperative, said the company had 41 customers without power Friday afternoon, all in Benton County.
Peter Main with Southwestern Electric Power Co. said the power had been restored to all its Benton County customers who can receive service. He noted some customers have damage to the weatherhead or meter loop, which is the electric service entrance to a home or business. That damage must be repaired by an electrician before SWEPCO can reconnect power.
More rain is expected this weekend. The National Weather Service in Tulsa said there will be periods of showers this morning, then rain likely in the afternoon with a high in the mid-50s.
It should be sunny with a high near 67 on Sunday, according to the weather service.
State Desk on 10/26/2019