A rainbow arcs over tornado damage along Shackleford Road in west Little Rock on March 31, 2023. (John Sykes/Arkansas Advocate)Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders today requested a presidential Major Disaster Declaration in response to storms that caused severe damage in Central Arkansas and the Delta on June 25.
In late June, severe storms and straight-line winds caused extensive damage to private property and public facilities across Arkansas.
A joint state and FEMA preliminary damage assessment began on July 24 and determined that the storm caused enough damage for communities to qualify for FEMA’s Public Assistance Program, according to the governor’s office.
“As these communities continue to recover, my administration has determined that the disaster’s impact was widespread enough to qualify our state for a federal Major Disaster Declaration,” Sanders said in a statement. “The additional assistance this declaration would provide will prove critical to Arkansas’ rebuilding efforts.”
The governor is requesting individual assistance that includes the Individuals and Households Program and the Crisis Counseling Program, disaster unemployment assistance, disaster case management, disaster legal services and Small Business Administration assistance in Arkansas, Faulkner, Lonoke, Mississippi, Poinsett, Pope and Pulaski counties.
The governor also requested public assistance in seven categories (eligible projects include debris removal and work on roads and bridges, among other things), for Arkansas, Faulkner, Lonoke, Poinsett and Pulaski counties, and hazard mitigation statewide.
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