(April 5, 2008 -- Little Rock, AR) The City of Little Rock continues to be involved in the clean up from the April 3 storms.

City Manager Bruce T. Moore noted, “As more time has passed after the storm, the City is returning to normal operations. We realize, however, that for many Little Rock citizens, their lives are not returning to normal. A city is not a collection of buildings; it is a community of people. The Little Rock City Hall family remains committed to aiding our neighbors who are storm victims in their clean-up and recovery.”

The City of Little Rock offers the following reminders for citizens in the aftermath of the storms:
1) If you think you smell a gas leak in your house, leave your house and go to a neighbor’s house to call 9-1-1.
2) Do not drive through standing water; there is no way to know how deep it is.
3) Check on neighbors who are elderly or disabled.
4) Stay away from downed power lines. Assume they are “live.”
5) Do not leave lit candles unattended.
6) Use extreme caution when cleaning up debris. Many post-storm injuries are caused by people falling off of roofs or harming themselves with saws or other cutting devices. It is best to leave this to professionals.
7) To schedule storm debris pick up, call 3-1-1.

Fire Department
The Fire Department has returned to its normal mode of operations. They remain on alert for any water rescues of stranded motorists in areas where standing water may remain.

Police Department
The Police Department is maintaining extra squads on patrol until all power is restored throughout the City. Otherwise, police efforts related to the storms are focusing on traffic control and crowd control.

Public Works Department
There are ten (10) crews working on debris removal this weekend. They will continue their efforts on Sunday. All streets and roads should be cleared by the end of today (Saturday).

In addition to normal garbage and yard waste collection, the City will provide additional resources to address debris collection as residents recover from the storm aftermath.
Debris must be placed beside the curb. In order to ensure that the City is aware of the additional debris, residents are requested to turn in a request by calling 3-1-1.

The City’s Solid Waste crews will attempt to pick up as much of the tree material as possible with hand crews during normal yard waste collection. The restriction on length and diameter will be suspended for the next few weeks to help get this material picked up. Material that is extremely large in size or volume may be rescheduled for special pickup other than normal yard waste.

Building Codes
If an electric meter box has been torn from a house, an electrical inspection must occur before it can be reattached or a new one activated. Building Codes staff will make storm-related inspections a priority in the coming days. To schedule an inspection, Little Rock citizens should call 3-1-1 or 371-4826.

Zoo and War Memorial Park
Power has been restored to War Memorial Park. Therefore the Little Rock Zoo, War Memorial Golf Course, and Jim Dailey Fitness and Aquatic Center have resumed their normal hours of operation.

-30-