DECATUR, Arkansas — Cleanup continues around Decatur after a suspected EF-3 tornado tore through the area in the early hours of Sunday, May 26, plowing down trees and powerlines, scattering belongings, and destroying homes.
As the sun came up Monday morning, crews had already resumed clean up, and Decatur Mayor Bob Tharp was making his way down Carlton Drive and Highway 102, an area that was hit especially hard.
“These people are our people. They're not incorporated in the city limits of Decatur, but they believe and I believe that they're part of the town, and we want them to feel that way,” Tharp said.
Resident John Pike said in over 30 years of living there, he's never seen so much destruction.
"Our family owns about six homes, and if they're not family or friends, they're neighbors who we've known for years. I know of around 15 to 20 homes that are completely destroyed, and the ones that made it have extensive damage. We're all pulling together."
Family, friends, and the Christian Disaster Relief organization got to work bright and early trying their best to clear the damage off of the Pike family’s land where multiple trees were split or fallen and the shed was completely wiped out.
Tyler and Nicole Ketner came back home to a destroyed home. They were forced to stay at a friend’s house that night.
When Tyler’s coworkers at Team Direct Management heard of the damage, they immediately stretched out a helping hand. Over 50 friends and fellow churchgoers gathered to clean the damage off the Ketner’s land, despite the Ketners just moving to the area only six months ago.
Nicole says they’re going to have to move out of their house for the next three or four months to allow the damage to get fixed.
Other Decatur residents said it could be years before they fully rebuild.
Tharp plans to make contact with as many citizens as possible, encouraging those who were impacted by the storms to record all of the damage they have so they can receive the help they need as the city works with the county and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in coming days.
Tharp said he wants people to know help is on the way.
“The last major tornado that happened in the city of Decatur was in 1937 when it hit downtown Decatur,” Tharp said. “They rebuilt, and we're gonna rebuild it and help these people out here too.”
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