LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — It's been 68 days since an EF-3 tornado ripped through Little Rock, and in a press briefing held Wednesday morning, Frank Scott, Jr. announced that June 25 is the final deadline for debris cleanup.
"We are making the announcement that United Way will be our third-party administrator to ensure that the direct pay assistance gets to the residents," Mayor Frank Scott, Jr. said.
The nonprofit organization is in charge of handing out the nearly $600,000 in donations through the Little Rock Cares Emergency Relief.
The mayor explained that the two-week extension will give people additional time to clean up. He added that the original date was set based on the assistance the City of Little Rock was receiving from FEMA.
"We had a little more than 30 to 45 days, I believe, of 100% FEMA assistance and reimbursement, and then anything after that date, I believe that date was May 13, it would then go to 75% reimbursement rate," he described.
Meanwhile, Little Rock's data officer, Marquis Willis, shared how the city was able to quickly pinpoint the nearly 3,000 structures in the path of the storm.
"With the damage assessment portal, both residents and employees were able to log damage in real-time with photos, so we had an active picture of what was going on," Willis shared.
He also said about 1,512 people checked in at the city's family assistance centers and 255 vouchers for temporary housing were handed out.