The city of Little Rock's West Central Community Center will serve as a Disaster Recovery Center following the destructive EF3 tornado that traversed the metro area on March 31, Little Rock announced Monday.
The center located at 8616 Colonel Glenn Road will host federal and state officials, including specialists from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, according to the city.
Representatives from state agencies such as the Arkansas Department of Human Services are set to relocate there from the city's tornado-related Family Assistance Center at 315 N. Shackleford Road, a city news release issued Monday said.
"According to FEMA, residents may visit the Disaster Recovery Center to apply for federal aid, learn about federal housing and rental assistance, get updates on the status of FEMA applications, receive referrals to other agencies, and learn about SBA loan programs for qualifying businesses and individuals," the news release said. "No appointments are necessary."
"We have a long road ahead to rebuild and renew our neighborhoods, but collaboration and cooperation among our federal, state and local partners will be essential in building back efficiently and stronger," Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr. said in a statement.
Senior citizen programs at the West Central Community Center will relocate to the East Little Rock Community Center, according to the city.
Public Works Department crews and contractors will continue to pick up debris placed within 10 feet of the curb in neighborhoods affected by the tornado, provided that the waste has been separated by type, the news release said.
"Yard waste and bulky item pickup in all areas of Little Rock is resuming after being suspended last week," the news release said. "Residents who had scheduled pickups through 311 do not need to reschedule."
Monday afternoon was the deadline for firms to respond to requests for bids the city circulated last week tied to debris collection.
Little Rock officials expect to tap contractors to clean up and dispose of storm debris in three different zones of the city.
At a briefing held April 3 with city board members, Little Rock Public Works Director Jon Honeywell said officials were close to transitioning from the initial emergency response to a period of recovery and cleanup, but they foresaw "a very long, long process."
A preliminary estimate of up to 500,000 cubic yards of material to be dealt with might be on the conservative side, Honeywell suggested.
At that time, Honeywell said city officials were preparing to issue requests for bids for contractors to help the city clean up debris in the public right-of-way or near the curb.
He later indicated the city could seek reimbursement from FEMA for the cost paid to the contractors.
Describing the expedited procurement process, City Manager Bruce Moore said that in addition to the contractors for the three zones, the city would seek out other bids for monitoring work to ensure the firms do what they are supposed to do.
Honeywell indicated the monitoring was federally required.
City officials ultimately will have to come before the city board to put up approximately $500,000 prior to any reimbursement from FEMA, Moore said.
A resolution authorizing Moore to transfer that sum from the contingency fund to a new disaster relief fund is expected to be on the city board's modified agenda during a meeting this evening.
President Joe Biden on Saturday approved a request from Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders that the federal government bear 100% of the cost of the recovery effort in Pulaski, Cross and Lonoke counties during a 30-day period after the disaster.
Federal authorities had initially agreed to pay for 75% of the cost.
Little Rock's Reservoir Park has been turned into a debris-collection site after the park sustained significant damage during the storm.
Tornado debris separated into vegetative debris and construction waste can be dropped off between 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day except Sundays.