08-04-2025
Flooding ravages Hardy, Arkansas
HARDY, Ark. – The Spring River is what keeps people coming to Hardy, Arkansas, but this past weekend it was the reason they were told to leave.
Michael Ronald is one of several people looking for belongings on Monday after flooding over the weekend.
'I've been here since 8 o'clock this morning, and I haven't found a thing,' Roland said.
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He said he bought his land after a previous flood drove some neighbors out. The aftermath of a historic flood is almost unrecognizable on his plot and many of his neighbors' plots.
'The insurance company canceled everybody's insurance policy, saying they weren't covering the awnings anymore, so he's still got his river lot, but he lost $100,000 that he had paid,' Ronald said pointing at a neighbor's land.
On Bobo Drive, water rose to the second story of Trip Monger's cabin.
'This is by far the worst (flood) we've had,' Monger stated.
A boat against his place is proof not everyone had time to move possessions after an evacuation order on Friday.
'I've been coming here since I was six weeks old, and my grandparents have been coming here since the '30s,' Monger said. 'Hopefully, we can have the upstairs livable by this summer.'
At its highest stage, the Spring River reached about 23 feet. A normal stage is about three feet. Some people tried to stay, and authorities performed perilous water rescues.
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A shelter is open in Hardy for those who need it. Most say they plan to stay and rebuild, even if they lost everything.
Mark White, whose RV was at River Bend Park, said it appears 90% of it is washed away.
'These people become your neighbors per se, and become your friends, even if you don't recognize them and only see them walking by, and your heart just goes out to them,' White said.
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