From: Arkansas Matters
Drew Petrimoulx
MAYFLOWER, AR -- Before the 3,500 gallons
spilled from a ruptured oil pipeline here, the Northwoods subdivision
was considered one of the nicest neighborhoods in Mayflower.
Nearly 10 months later, home after home sits empty, leaving just a few residents left in some areas to hang on.
"People think it's like know nobody lives here, but we're still here on the corner," said Michele Ward, one of the few left on N Starlite Drive.
Her block was ground zero for last year's oil spill
"It's dead," she says. "No kids play. My 6-year-old talks about all her friends are gone."
Records show Exxon Mobil has bought 22 homes, nearly a third of the homes in Ward's neighborhood. The homes remain empty.
"There's still so many lawsuits that are pending, and it's going to take a long time," said Richard Henley, a realtor working to sell homes in Northwoods.
He sees a bright future for the neighborhood, but, right now, Exxon's buying program is the only option for homeowners looking to get out.
"It's the concern that maybe something will show up down the road that's causing cancer or something of that nature," he said.
It's a concern shared by Ward, a single, working mother of two. But, she says, moving out would be tough.
"I'm very proud of my house that I built on my own so, you know, it's hard to let it go," she said.
On Friday, she showed us bags of clothes, curtains and towels in her garage that cleanup crews removed from her home but never hauled away.
Ward says it's just more evidence Exxon's work making Northwoods whole remains unfinished.
Exxon says it plans to put the homes on sale in an "orderly manner to avoid flooding the market."
Nearly 10 months later, home after home sits empty, leaving just a few residents left in some areas to hang on.
"People think it's like know nobody lives here, but we're still here on the corner," said Michele Ward, one of the few left on N Starlite Drive.
Her block was ground zero for last year's oil spill
"It's dead," she says. "No kids play. My 6-year-old talks about all her friends are gone."
Records show Exxon Mobil has bought 22 homes, nearly a third of the homes in Ward's neighborhood. The homes remain empty.
"There's still so many lawsuits that are pending, and it's going to take a long time," said Richard Henley, a realtor working to sell homes in Northwoods.
He sees a bright future for the neighborhood, but, right now, Exxon's buying program is the only option for homeowners looking to get out.
"It's the concern that maybe something will show up down the road that's causing cancer or something of that nature," he said.
It's a concern shared by Ward, a single, working mother of two. But, she says, moving out would be tough.
"I'm very proud of my house that I built on my own so, you know, it's hard to let it go," she said.
On Friday, she showed us bags of clothes, curtains and towels in her garage that cleanup crews removed from her home but never hauled away.
Ward says it's just more evidence Exxon's work making Northwoods whole remains unfinished.
Exxon says it plans to put the homes on sale in an "orderly manner to avoid flooding the market."
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