NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The first anniversary of the March 31, 2023, tornado looms, leaving many Arkansans to reflect on how communities have rallied despite the significant damage.
With damaged houses, broken trees, and destroyed businesses, North Little Rock moved forward, and the community is finding comfort in the progress.
North Little Rock Mayor Terry Hartwick said he won't soon forget that day either.
"I cried because it's tough, and my mindset was that we have a problem," Hartwick said. "People were expecting me as mayor to do the job."
Hartwick's job involved seeing the damage and feeling the pain throughout the city.
"The people that I saw were affected, and the trees that were lost at Burns Park," Hartwick said. "We had 15,000 trees down; as we know now, it's more than 15,000."
However, Hartwick said he and the city focused on strength to overcome the struggles.
"I asked people what they heard at five o'clock on March 31," Hartwick said. "I said chainsaws. Those chainsaws were going off everywhere because people were out helping other people from all parts of neighborhoods or even other cities."
Lifting neighbors signified positive movement for the City of North Little Rock and other tangible moments, such as slowly opening parts of Burns Park.
“The golf course was open about two weeks afterward, and from the fire station to the pickleball courts to soccer," Hartwick said. "It is a step-by-step process, but as soon as I saw we could safely get people in, we opened Burns Park."
Hartwick feels proud that the city has made progress since the tornado passed and as the one-year anniversary nears.
“If you got hit, people were there to help you," Hartwick said. "At that time when you needed everybody, everybody came.”
Burns Park’s Funland is set to reopen with new rides and attractions on July 4.