Crawford County cleaning up after tornado damage

Residents in Crawford County were cleaning up Monday from tornadoes that damaged 130 structures in the county Friday night but caused no deaths or major injuries.

The National Weather Service in Tulsa said an EF2 tornado swept through northwest Van Buren about 11 p.m. Friday and cut a path 5.5 miles long and 600 yards wide, damaging several homes as it swept through residential areas.

The tornado had winds of between 110 and 120 mph, weather service meteorologists determined Sunday.

Minutes later an EF1 tornado, with winds of 90 to 100 mph, developed from the same storm system and hit rural Crawford County north of Rudy to near Mountainburg.

“I’m thankful that we didn’t have any serious injuries,” Dennis Gilstrap, county judge of Crawford County, said Monday. “But my heart goes out to people who lost their homes.”

Two first-responders suffered minor injuries while working on the storm response, he said.

Some of the 130 damaged structures simply lost their gutters, Gilstrap said. Twenty homes had major damage and five were destroyed.

Three of the homes destroyed were in Van Buren and two were in the rural part of the county, Gilstrap said. One home burned when a power line fell onto it.

Volunteers, including church groups, quickly responded to begin helping with the cleanup, Gilstrap said. County crews worked Sunday and Monday to clear the county roads of debris.

Gilstrap said he contacted the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management for a disaster declaration but was told the amount of uninsured damage did not reach the threshold for assistance. He said about 90 percent of the homes in Crawford County are insured.

According to the weather service, the tornado that hit Van Buren developed north of Interstate 40 on the west edge of the city and moved to the northeast. Trees were uprooted and several apartment complexes were damaged.

As it moved to the northeast, the tornado went through a dense residential area where it damaged many homes, some severely. It also uprooted trees and snapped several large power poles before dissipating.

The weather service said the second tornado developed north of Rudy, population 61, and stayed on the ground for seven minutes, traveling 8.7 miles at 700 yards wide, destroying barns, blowing down trees and damaging power poles.

Van Buren issued a debris removal plan Monday. Vegetation debris can be taken to the city’s Yard Waste Facility at 2844 S. Arkansas 59 every day this week from 8 a.m. to noon. Next week, the facility returns to its normal schedule of 8 a.m. to noon Wednesday and Saturday.

Residents also may place vegetation debris at the edge of their property to be picked up by the city.

Residents are responsible for removing construction debris from their property, according to the city plan. Citizens are advised to consult their insurance carriers about their policies covering debris removal. The Yard Waste Facility will not accept construction debris or other materials such as furniture.

Hazardous and electronic waste can be disposed of at a central collection point behind the Municipal Utilities area at 2806 Bryan Road. Hours of operation are 8 a.m. to noon Wednesdays.