Tree limbs are still falling and blocking roadways after a storm tore through Benton County Saturday.
Crews working to clear hanging limbs from the roadside near Sulphur Springs Tuesday were called away to Bella Vista, after a tree snapped, blocking the road again.
Jack Brown, superintendent for the county road department says crews spent long hours Saturday night and Sunday trying to make roads passable.
Now he says they are making a second pass, to push the remaining debris out of the way. Crews are also concerned about the hanging limbs, like the one that fell in Bella Vista three days after strong winds broke it.
"They're gonna fall off into the road and they're gonna hit cars," Brown says. "The farmers are really helping a lot by cleaning some of this up for us... but the dangerous ones we want to get a grapple truck up here and clean them up ourselves so no one gets hurt."
Brown wants people to be on the lookout, and let the county know if you see a limb hanging by the roadside.
"If it's in a yard be safe and call a professional tree service," he says. "If it's hanging and you try to cut that tree, it's gonna fall and more than likely you're not going to be able to outrun the tree."
Butch Todd was at church a few miles east of Sulphur Springs Saturday night when the wind picked up, he says he didn't think anything of it until he tried to get home, and the road was blocked.
"It just happened so quick," he says. "That wind and stuff can do damage. I mean in a hurry."
Todd says his grandson's truck was crushed by a tree, but he escaped without any major damage at his home.
"We were fortunate out at our house," he says. "We didn't lose very many trees."
The Sulphur Springs City Park wasn't so fortunate. Dozens of broken limbs litter the area.
"It's sickening to see all the trees and everything gone," Todd says. "It hadn't been too many years ago the ice come through and got a bunch of em, then this come through and laid down a bunch more."
"It's like a war zone up there," Brown says of the park while working to clean up a dirt road just down the street. "I didn't expect anything like this when I got called out."
He says the road department is learning from the experience though, using it to iron out debris cleanup procedures.
"We're working... to be prepared for something worse," he says. "This is kind of a training exercise for us and it's probably a good thing to make us better."
Brown says the cleanup will probably take weeks to complete.
Crews working to clear hanging limbs from the roadside near Sulphur Springs Tuesday were called away to Bella Vista, after a tree snapped, blocking the road again.
Jack Brown, superintendent for the county road department says crews spent long hours Saturday night and Sunday trying to make roads passable.
Now he says they are making a second pass, to push the remaining debris out of the way. Crews are also concerned about the hanging limbs, like the one that fell in Bella Vista three days after strong winds broke it.
"They're gonna fall off into the road and they're gonna hit cars," Brown says. "The farmers are really helping a lot by cleaning some of this up for us... but the dangerous ones we want to get a grapple truck up here and clean them up ourselves so no one gets hurt."
Brown wants people to be on the lookout, and let the county know if you see a limb hanging by the roadside.
"If it's in a yard be safe and call a professional tree service," he says. "If it's hanging and you try to cut that tree, it's gonna fall and more than likely you're not going to be able to outrun the tree."
Butch Todd was at church a few miles east of Sulphur Springs Saturday night when the wind picked up, he says he didn't think anything of it until he tried to get home, and the road was blocked.
"It just happened so quick," he says. "That wind and stuff can do damage. I mean in a hurry."
Todd says his grandson's truck was crushed by a tree, but he escaped without any major damage at his home.
"We were fortunate out at our house," he says. "We didn't lose very many trees."
The Sulphur Springs City Park wasn't so fortunate. Dozens of broken limbs litter the area.
"It's sickening to see all the trees and everything gone," Todd says. "It hadn't been too many years ago the ice come through and got a bunch of em, then this come through and laid down a bunch more."
"It's like a war zone up there," Brown says of the park while working to clean up a dirt road just down the street. "I didn't expect anything like this when I got called out."
He says the road department is learning from the experience though, using it to iron out debris cleanup procedures.
"We're working... to be prepared for something worse," he says. "This is kind of a training exercise for us and it's probably a good thing to make us better."
Brown says the cleanup will probably take weeks to complete.
