Arkansas Community Still on Mend After Fatal Twister

Seven months after a deadly tornado struck Vilonia residents and business owners are still working to rebuild the central Arkansas community.

Marty Knight heads the Rebuild Vilonia committee and says recovery has been strong since the April twister struck central Arkansas, killing 16 people total, 12 in Faulkner County alone.

But he adds that Vilonia’s recovery will be a slow process. He tells the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that Vilonia lost about 70 percent of its businesses in the storm. Mayor James Firestone says some have reopened in their owners’ homes, while others have made repairs and resumed operation.

Firestone says the tornado destroyed about 160 homes in Vilonia. He estimates about 50 are back under construction.