Cities set up funds for tornado victims

Donations to Little Rock top $100,000

LITTLE ROCK — As of Friday, a tornado relief fund created by the city of Little Rock had taken in $103,300 and an additional $75,000 had been pledged, according to a city spokesman.

How city officials plan to disburse the money remains unknown, but more information is expected to be released soon.

“As to allocations, we’re evaluating our priorities and hope to be able to announce details as early as [this] week,” Aaron Sadler, a spokesman for Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr., said via email Friday.

The city’s website says the Little Rock Cares Emergency Relief Fund will provide “financial support” to Little Rock residents affected by the March 31 tornado.

The pool of funding will be overseen by the city’s Finance Department, according to the city. Contributions are tax-deductible.

The high-end EF3 tornado, thought to be the strongest to hit Little Rock since January 1999, left behind a trail of destruction in the metro area starting in west Little Rock until it finally weakened near Cabot.

The city of North Little Rock likewise has solicited donations to its own fund called the North Little Rock Tornado Disaster Fund.

North Little Rock spokeswoman Shara Brazear said in an email Friday afternoon that the fund had already received $ 6,000 in contributions even though a web link for donations had been up for just a short time.

In a news release Friday, the city of Little Rock asked residents to submit information about damage to property using an online portal, littlerock.gov/lrdamage, meant to allow the city “to evaluate the actual extent of damage, monitor its real-time response and track the progress of recovery.”

“The online damage assessment portal is yet another tool the City will use in the recovery and rebuilding effort,” Scott said in a statement included with the release. “This data-forward approach allows us to be smart and efficient about resource allocation, and it provides us with the information we need to support any efforts to secure additional funding.”

Information and photos submitted through the portal will not be used for individual disaster assistance, according to the city.