Message from HSVPOA BOD – Tornado Aftermath

The Hot Springs Village POA Board of Directors sent a Board Brief on Wednesday, March 27, 2024, to address some tornado questions and concerns. This is what the Board Brief said:

The tornado that touched down in Hot Springs Village on Thursday, March 14, is now almost two weeks behind us, but the clean up and restoration of homes is only beginning. The Board of Directors first wants to extend our huge thanks to the POA staff members who, aided by numerous county and state organizations as well as many faith-based organizations, worked so tirelessly to get roads clear enough to reach the many residents with homes in the path of the tornado. Those seeing aerial views of the 10,000 yards wide/8+ miles long path have expressed amazement that there were no fatalities and no major injuries to HSV residents.

The Board of Directors also wants to address some questions that have come up from residents affected by the tornado. It is important that residents understand that in a natural disaster such as this, no one is “responsible” for damages caused by the disaster. Neighbors are not responsible for trees from their own property that may have been blown over and damaged a resident’s home – this includes trees from POA common property. That resident’s insurance should cover “wind and tornado” damage unless excluded in their policy.

In the short term, the POA will continue its work of removing felled trees from roadways and other key areas, along with other basic repairs to water lines, etc. However, fallen trees on common property, while unsightly, will have to be put low on the priority list as the POA works to deal with issues of direct impact on neighborhoods. We ask that individual residents show patience and basic consideration as the clean-up and restoration work will take some time as the POA staff returns to their regular duties now mixed with the clean-up work.

In the longer term, the POA is currently working with governmental agencies and our insurers to develop restoration plans for the areas impacted by the tornado. Patience would be greatly appreciated as we navigate through this process. Affected residents will be informed as plans are formalized. Please understand our efforts must be channeled to life safety concerns and not all requests will be met during this time.For many years our Village will bear the visual scars of the tornado, and our impacted residents will undoubtedly feel their own financial and environmental discomfort. 

The Board of Directors asks everyone for four things –

• At this busy time, please don’t reach out to Board members or the General Manager with tornado-related questions or individual requests. Taking the time to respond only slows down the recovery work overall.
• Residents that do not live in the affected areas should not enter for firewood harvesting. The roads are still congested and the added traffic will put others at risk. There are also still hazardous trees that may fall, and your safety is more important than collecting firewood.
• The key word right now is PATIENCE! Please be patient – with the workers and with the process!
• Continue to help your neighbors when they need it!  

Respectfully provided,
HSVPOA Board of Directors
March 27, 2024