As Hot Springs residents work to clean up after the damage caused by the EF-2 tornado, local real estate agents are stepping up to help them and offering financial assistance to help them get back on their feet.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. — Cleanup is still ongoing after the EF-2 tornado that struck Hot Springs in early May.
Now local real estate agents are stepping up to help, offering financial assistance to help them get back on their feet.
“It’s a mess,” Hot Springs resident Greg Poirier said of the state of his home and yard after the tornado. “It’s one big tangled mess.”
Poirier was on vacation when the tornado struck the area.
“We had 14 trees down on our property,” Poirer said, “many of them on houses, pickup trucks and pontoon boats.”
Thankfully, neighbors have helped with some of the cleaning while he’s been away, but there’s still a lot of work to be done.
Poirier said he was grateful for the city’s quick response to remove the debris.
“It was very scary because we weren’t here, but we were also lucky we weren’t here,” Poirer said, “although depending on how you look at it it may seem that way because the tornado hit the house.”
The Hot Springs Association of Realtors is stepping up to help neighbors as they continue to clean up and rebuild.
“The Hot Springs Association of Realtors will begin setting up a command center through the National Association of Realtors Realtor Relief Fund,” said Hot Springs Association of Realtors President Karol Bales.
Bales helped people fill out applications and said they could receive up to $1,500.
“The storm caused a lot of damage in a lot of areas, and because of the path of the storm, it was along the lake,” Bales said. “It affected a lot of surrounding neighborhoods.”
Help is needed, and Bales said he hopes people will apply for financial assistance.
“The loan will be disbursed to the applicant,” Bales said, “and the amount will be based on their mortgage or rent payments and what the applicant demonstrates, but the applicant is free to use the loan for whatever they need.”
Now she and the board are trying to get the word out before setting up a command center on Tuesday and Wednesday next week.
“We’ll be out there distributing flyers and working on all the roads that have been affected from now through Monday,” Bales said. “We want to let everyone know, and we’re very eager to offer assistance to anyone who asks for it.”
The command center will be open June 4th and June 5th from 10am to 4pm at the Hot Springs Association of Realtors office at 437 Orange Street.
Applicants must attach photos of the damage and proof of occupancy to their application.
