Tornado Flattened Neighborhood Seeing First Rebuild

VILONIA, AR -- It's a big step for neighborhood hit hard by the April 27th tornado that devastated parts of central Arkansas. The first rebuilt home is currently under construction in the Parkwood Meadows subdivision of Vilonia.

Crews were busy Thursday putting in electrical wiring and working on the roof. A developer bought up 25 lots. He plans to build homes and put them on the market. For one of the guys working on the build its an extra special job. He's an electrician and also a volunteer firefighter -- one of the first to respond after the tornado.

"This is my home town and just to see the destruction , the life lost, it still gets to you a little bit," said Clay Heslep. "To be rebuilding the first house, it's just a testament to what this community is all about.

The developer says all the homes will be build with anchor bolts to better secure the walls to the foundation. Each will also have a safe room.

The builder says the plan from here out is to do two homes at a time. He hopes to have the first home on the market within the next three weeks.

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Tornado Flattened Neighborhood Seeing First Rebuild