The National Weather Service confirmed that an EF-2 Tornado had hit the Spa City of Hot Springs, Arkansas this past Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, causing severe damage to the area’s local residencies and restaurants.
Local Hot Springs resident Collin Heaton was caught in the eye of the storm, inside his condominium, he witnessed the horrifying damage unfold in front of him. Collin told the local press that he knew the tornado was bad, but soon realized it was more severe than he had expected. Collin stated that he felt and heard the power of the raging tornado, expecting severe damage to his condominium complex.
After the tornado had passed, Heaton drove around Hot Springs to assess the damage, where he saw the Belle of Hot Springs, a local riverboat cruise, floating in the middle of the water, due to severe flooding. To Heaton’s surprise, his condo was left unscathed, as well as a few others around his. Heaton told the local news that he believed in a higher entity such as God protected the complex, which was between two hotels that suffered roof damage.
Just a few hundred feet away from Heaton’s apartment complex is a popular Mexican Grill and Cantina restaurant named Jose’s. Jose’s restaurant was unfortunately not as lucky as Heaton’s condo. Heaton stated that he initially saw a fallen telephone pole in the restaurant during his drive.
Jose’s owner, Jose Soto, was in disbelief at the sight of the aftermath. Soto explained that the restaurant’s back awning was completely ripped off, with multiple powerlines fallen on top of the building. The metal awning which was originally in the back part of the building, had been wrapped around the front due to severe winds. Soto stated that many supportive customers had reached out to show their support. Jose’s Cantina currently remains closed at its Central Ave location but has hopes of re-opening the location by next week
