LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Many businesses still feel the effects of the EF-3 tornado that blew through Arkansas on March 31.
The Roller Funeral Home on Chenal is one of those businesses, as it sat right in the tornado's path, resulting in the crumbling of half its building.
“We were blessed in the regard that we did not have a large service that afternoon," Roller Funeral Home President Bill Booker said. "We did have eight employees who were at the facility."
Luckily, Booker said no one was hurt, but they're still cleaning up the mess it left behind.
“West of our facility, that's what suffered the most damage and some of the back wall of the facility,” Booker said. “We have temporary roofing, but we know... every little crack because we see a few drops coming down, but we have plenty of plastic containers.”
Other parts of the building, like their chapel, were untouched.
“We can go into our chapel right now and have a service that’d have to be by candlelight," Booker said. "We don't have power right now."
While crews continue working, Booker said it's business as usual.
“We have five other facilities that can assist the public," Booker said. "People who call this facility, we're serving eight right now through our other locations."
The building has been here for nearly three decades, and although a large portion is ok, Booker said they're preparing for the long road to recovery.
“We're dealing with it just sort of a day at a time, a piece at a time,” Booker said. “We're still removing some furnishings, so they don't get damaged from the repair work that must be done.”
But no matter what he says, they'll continue serving anyone who calls.
“Our phones are answered 24 hours a day," Booker said. "Always have been and always will be."