Hardy, AR — (JonesboroRightNow.com) — April 17, 2025 — Multiple groups and cities, including Jonesboro, are stepping in to help out Hardy almost two weeks after a historic flood hit the area.

Hardy Mayor Ethan Barnes said the city is currently in a disaster recovery phase and their individual assessments on the damage have been completed. He said about 135 properties either had major or minor damage or were destroyed.

“Those numbers have been submitted to FEMA, and they are continuing to do individual assessments across different parts of the state of Arkansas, into the other counties that were affected,” Barnes said. “It takes some time for people to get out, to get eyes on the ground, to do these types of assessments. We’re working as fast as we can.”

The initial need for several families in the area was housing, as Barnes said people were forced out of their homes and many of their belongings were destroyed.

“The American Red Cross came in just as soon as they were made aware of the situation, and they set up a shelter here at the old Hardy gym on School Street,” Barnes said. “I believe we had the Church of Christ disaster recovery group up here. About 400 different applicants came in with families of two to four or more that came in and got immediate food needs, immediate clothing needs, rakes, shovels, wheelbarrows, tarps, cleaning supplies.”

Cities in Northeast Arkansas have also assisted in recovery efforts, including Jonesboro. Jonesboro crews were sent to Hardy starting Wednesday.

Barnes said when he realized that there was a lot of damage, one of the first people he called was Jonesboro Mayor Harold Copenhaver. 

“He [Copenhaver] immediately said, ‘Yes, we will help the City of Hardy. What can we do?’ And I said, ‘Mayor, we need your help. I need some grapple hooks, and we need some abilities, some hard-working men, to come up and help us, and immediately, Mayor Copenhaver answered the call and sent a crew up to us,” Barnes said.

Copenhaver said while Jonesboro residents are a number one priority, when it comes to situations like flooding in other cities in the region, he wants to make sure those cities have the resources they need.

“He’s [Barnes] going through something that he hasn’t gone through as a mayor, and as we prepare for events to occur in Jonesboro, we also are preparing to assist other communities should nothing occur here,” Copenhaver said.

Multiple crews in Jonesboro have provided support to Hardy, including the police, fire, and streets departments. Code enforcement has also been protecting residents on checking on any permitting that needs to be required. Street Department crews returned Thursday. They had to wait before floodwaters receded before helping clean up.

Copenhaver said with situations like these, it highlights the importance of regional cooperation and being prepared for natural disasters.

“Everything has to come into play, so there’s always ways to make improvements, and that’s what we’re doing through this, we’re learning each time,” Copenhaver said.

Other cities, including Batesville, and state agencies including the Arkansas Division of Forestry and Game and Fish Commission have been assisting in the efforts. Barnes said he has also been in communication with representatives in the Arkansas and U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.

Right now, Barnes’ priority is getting debris out of the way so it’s safe for people to get into their homes and travel on the roads.

“We’ve been also working trying to load up vegetation and construction debris. We’ve been running trucks all day, starting to get the area of East Valley cleaned up down here in the City of Hardy along the banks of the Spring River,” Barnes said. “If we can start rebuilding, with the help of a hopeful FEMA declaration from the White House, we’ll be able to have some funding to come in and help put our parks, playgrounds, and pavilions back together for the community to enjoy.”

The recovery process will be “a joint effort” between the city agencies and citizens, Barnes said, adding that he does not want people to worry about the city’s future.

“I want people to be rest assured that Hardy’s not going anywhere. We’re not off the map. If anything, Hardy just landed a bigger place on the map,” Barnes said.

Barnes said he is thankful for the support his city has received and that “the entire community will come back together stronger than ever before.”