Jonesboro, AR – (JonesboroRightNow.com) – May 23, 2024 – After the lunchtime storm wreaked havoc on the city on Wednesday, almost all power has been restored, according to Slade Mitchell, spokesman for Jonesboro’s City, Water, and Light.

Now, insurance agents around the city are dealing with high call volume as their clients are reporting damage to homes from trees being blown onto them and hail damage to automobiles.

The storm produced winds of up to 70 mph, quarter-sized hail and heavy rains that resulted in flooding.

Anthony Coy, director of Craighead County Office of Emergency Management said South Main Street and West Washington Avenue were two of the worst areas hit by flooding. On Main Street, water entered several businesses.

Mitchell said CWL crews worked throughout the night to restore power to all but a few houses. At one point on Wednesday, more than 7,500 residences were without power.

“They were able to knock out a good bit of it by 4 a.m.,” he said of the crews. “There are still isolated outages, the vast majority are back on. The workers are the heroes.”

Coy said a few traffic lights were not working as of this morning, including the one at the intersection of West Washington Avenue and Union Street. He said motorists should treat an intersection as a four-way stop sign.

No injuries were reported, Coy said. “Today, people are picking up the pieces, literally.”

Coy said the Red Cross set up a shelter for residents at Allen Park Community Center, 3609 Race St. Much of the wind damage from Wednesday’s storms were focused in the Fairview subdivision area located North of Race Street. Some residents were unable to remain in their homes due to damage from fallen trees.

Ben Ford, owner of Ben Ford State Farm Insurance Agency, said the phone was ringing today, “We’re getting a lot of calls about hail damage and home damage.”

Ford said the wind and hail also caused damage to roofs. Before calling in a claim about a roof, he advised homeowners to get a qualified roof inspector to check it out first.

According to the Insurance Information Institute, “One good storm can blow through and topple even the sturdiest of trees in the yard. And, once the storm passes, you may be wondering whether your homeowner’s insurance will help pay for the cost of removing the branches or repairing damage if the tree fell on your home.

“The answer to this question is, It depends. Homeowners insurance typically protects your home and other structures, such as a fence or shed, against specific causes of loss such as wind. So, the situation that caused the tree to fall is important. If the tree was otherwise healthy and damaged your home because of wind, a typical homeowners insurance policy may help pay to repair damage to your home or other structure on your property,” the Insurance Information Institute says.