JACKSONVILLE, Ark. — We're nearing the two-month mark since an EF3 tornado made its way through Central Arkansas. It's been a long road to recovery for many communities including the City of Jacksonville.
James and Jones Street was covered in debris the day after the tornado, and two businesses there were destroyed. Now, all the debris in that area is cleaned up.
“We really have come a long way,” said Mayor Jeff Elmore.
Mayor Elmore explained that the progress they've made is a testament to the people who call the city home.
“I can't say it's leadership or anything that I’ve done, it is just them taking it on themselves,” said Mayor Elmore. “Out of the goodness of their heart, helping their neighbors, loving their neighbors just work through a bad situation.”
Dupree Park is another area that was hit hard by the tornado. The damage there was a big loss for the city and the high school baseball team.
“People use it all the time from little league rec games through these hosting tournaments,” said Mayor Elmore. “So financially, you know, it is important to the city as well as just the quality-of-life issue for the city.”
The city has made progress there much faster than they expected.
“Dupree Park looks good. It's still not usable yet, but it's clean,” said Elmore. “We're at the point in time where we're beginning, the construction, the rebuilding of everything that was messed up there. We've got the new inclusive park being installed now. They're working on getting the lights in for the fields and the fencing.”
He said they hope the sports complex will be ready by the middle of summer, and added that rebuilding isn't just happening at the park but across several neighborhoods.
“Our people are working with their insurance companies,” said Elmore. “There are a lot of homes that have recently begun construction or repairs, or total rebuilds, just depending on the situation, there are others that are still in the middle of paperwork.”
While there's still debris to pick up and recovery isn't over Mayor Elmore said the future looks bright for the city.
“When it's all said and done, we're going to be in a better spot than we were before and that's what's encouraging,” said Elmore. “I want the best for our city with the best for our citizens and it's unfortunate if it took a tornado to do this, but there's a lot of good that's going to come out of a bad situation.”
He said that they will continue debris pick up through at least the rest of the week.