LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Recovery efforts continue in Little Rock a week after tornadoes ripped through Arkansas, with volunteers at City Center helping lead the charge with getting local residents back on their feet.
Community members whose lives were upturned by the storms have been coming to the facility on Shackleford Road all week for assistance with documents for insurance and government support, as well as food, clothing and hope.
The volunteers trying to help are coming from across the region as well as across the state and country.
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KARK’s Laura Monteverdi has been doing live shots at the City Center today.
Dave Kuchinski, chief clinical officer with The Centers, meeting drivers in the donation line at City Center. Kuchinski was informing people about mental health services, and counseling people who requested it.
The most important thing is to “take care of your immediate needs,” he said about overcoming trauma from the March 31 tornadoes.
Kuchinski spoke about people having a PTSD reaction, such as trouble sleeping as a result of the storm. In some cases people were reaching out for help who had never done so before, he said.
He had been in line since 10:30 a.m.
The cars have continued to cycle through in an all-day endless procession.
Jimmy Jones waiting in line at City Center, April 7. He had been without power for four days, but reports it is back on now.
“I made it through all right,” Jones said about his time with the storm.
Digital producer Cate Skinner and managing editor Greg Yarbrough man a distribution table at City Center.
Arkansas Storm Team meteorologist Julianna Cullen also manned a donation table at City Center with some help from reporter Claire Kreuz.
City Center volunteers Emily Oliveto (left) and Lauren Hayes taking a break in the main office with a bag on the desk full of supplies for marking and labeling.
Hayes said the biggest challenge was anticipating the needs in the center’s response.
Jim Casten (seated) from Collinsville, Texas, and Ted Darling from Alma, taking a break in the City Center. Both are assessors with the Southern Baptist Convention Disaster Relief Team.
Darling explained that assesor’s go to an affected home and determine what is needed and what priority it should be given. Included in the response is a mental-health-trained chaplain. Volunteers are also trained to determine medical and security needs.
Casten said one issue in the recent response was people not returning phone calls or texts from assessors working to set up an appointment. Darling suspected this might be due to unrecognized phone numbers.
Darling also said there is a need for volunteers in Wynne.
Other than at City Center, SBC has disaster response teams at Levy Baptist Church in North Little Rock, 2nd Baptist Church in Jacksonville and Wynne Baptist church.
Those who wish to contact the team may call 800-806-6940 from 8 a.m. to noon and 1 – 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
As part of the event, the Salvation Army is on-site preparing ready-to-eat meals.
Michelle Morrill from Benton has manned the entrance door all day, getting people who need it pointed in the right direction. Her smile is constant.
A group of volunteers have been working hard to sort through baby-supply donations.
Pet food is available, if needed. Volunteer Savannah Bias from Alexander, with Little Rock School District, said they were in “good shape” on dry dog food, but cat food and puppy food was in short supply. Wet dog food was okay, but but she saw where there might be need for more soon.
Some dogs are allergic to chicken. No-chicken dog food would be very useful, Bias said. She also mentioned a low supply of carpet spray that “no power” homes were always happy to receive.
If there is one sound that characterizes life around the City Center, it is the sound of pallet jacks and push carts going to and fro.
“Power” or “No power” cars tell volunteers what type of food to load. “No power” means food that will not require preparation. “Power” means food can be heated and prepared.
As the cars keep coming, the volunteers continue working hard, loading water and juice.
A steady line of cars is still pulling into City Center as people come for assistance. Volunteers often check in as they pull up to find specific needs.
KARK 4 and FOX 16 staffers are joining in the efforts Friday, including FOX 16 Chief Meteorologist Carmen Rose, who was covering the tornadoes live on-air a week earlier.
FOX 16 Chief Meteorologist Carmen Rose helping on the front line at City Center. A short break gave her time to meet a fan. 
FOX 16 Chief Meteorologist Carmen Rose helping on the front line at City Center. A short break gave her time to meet a fan. 
FOX 16 Chief Meteorologist Carmen Rose helping on the front line at City Center. A short break gave her time to meet a fan.
Volunteers are continuing to load in supplies and donations at City Center, where the team is becoming very efficient at bringing items in and getting them back out to those in need.
Volunteers continue to load in supplies. A second group of volunteers carries and carts supplies out to the drive-up line and a third group mans the donation stations along City Center’s front. It is a steady process. 
Volunteers continue to load in supplies. A second group of volunteers carries and carts supplies out to the drive-up line and a third group mans the donation stations along City Center’s front. It is a steady process.
Volunteers at the City Center in Little Rock are continuing to assist people looking for help Friday while also bringing in donations from the public.
Currently, the pressing need at City Center is work gloves. Cleaning supplies also remain an ongoing need.
While staple food items and products to try and clean up damage are being picked up Friday, volunteers are also trying to spread some joy of the Easter season with baskets for kids.
A team from Entergy is at City Center working with residents on utility issues. A representative explained that the big issue for people asking for help was getting their meter boxes on and working, which has to happen before power to a home can be restored. This usually requires an electrician before they can send service to a home.
In some cases people are asking for help and “simply don’t know what to do,” one representative said.
To their right is a table from the Department of Health and Human Services. Representatives said they were helping people with claims, or answering questions.
Cars are waiting in line for donation pickup at City Center Friday afternoon. Stations along the drive are for different types of supplies, food, cleaning products, child care items, etc.
City Center has updated its needs list.
Current needs are peanut butter, lactose-free formula, dish soap and dish pods, shopping bags, laundry detergent, phone chargers, shampoo, size 4/5 pull-ups, baby bottles, flashlights, bleach, roofing nails and D batteries.
John Matuszyk from Oregon and Millard Kidder from Florida man the chainsaw sharpening booth in the City Center parking lot. The pair were offering free chainsaw sharpening.
Kidder said they had served about 200 people since arriving in Little Rock on Sunday, with a capacity for 300 sharpenings a day.
They had spent the previous week in Mississippi, Kidder said.
Mission pastor Matt Hubbard said an estimated 2,000 to 2,200 families have come to the center for aid since the March 31 tornadoes. Volunteers have come from throughout the region, with 200 to 300 on-site at any one time, he said.
City Center is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, and then from 1 – 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Volunteers are already out in force helping to distribute food and other resources to those impacted by the storms.
Despite ongoing donations from homes and businesses throughout the region, City Center has shortages and immediate needs for certain items.
Plastic bags are needed, as are items like dishwashing soap, dish detergent, small flashlights, batteries, deodorant, shampoo and conditioner.
In terms of food , the center has immediate needs for baby formula, small cookies, mac & cheese, canned goods, breakfast bars, chili, crackers, canned chicken, baked beans, soup and peanut butter and jelly.
The shortage/needs list changes roughly every hour.
