Biden approves federal aid for Arkansas’ tornado-struck communities as fatalities reach 10

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders on May 31, 2024 delivers an update on the state's response to severe weather in north Arkansas. (Mary Hennigan/Arkansas Advocate)

President Joe Biden approved a major disaster declaration for three Arkansas counties following severe storms that killed 10 people and destroyed at least 300 houses along the northern part of the state from May 24-27.

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders requested federal aid on Wednesday for necessary recovery efforts after tornadoes, straight-line winds and flooding. Now approved, Arkansans will have access to grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, cost-sharing opportunities for debris removal and more.

Sanders, joined by AJ Gary, director of the Arkansas Division of Emergency Management and Brig. Gen. Michael Henderson with the state National Guard, provided a storm-response update to reporters Friday following the approved federal aid.

“It is certainly not lost on us how devastating of a storm this was for our entire state,” Sanders said. “This is something that is going to take us a long time to recover and rebuild. The state is fully committed to making sure that we take care of the people of Arkansas.”

The number of fatalities has changed while completing storm assessments this week. Sanders said the latest confirmed count, 10, were either directly or indirectly related to the storms.

The federal declaration allows for aid in three counties: Benton, Boone and Marion. Severe weather impacted more than those three counties, however, and additional jurisdictions may be later approved for federal aid as data is collected and certain thresholds are met, Gary said.

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“We want to move as quickly as we can,” he said. “As my team was flying with FEMA over the damaged area, it was evident very quickly that we had enough information to request that federal declaration.”

People who experienced losses in the three approved counties can apply for assistance at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-261-3361. FEMA also has a mobile app residents can use.

Gary noted rural communities will see an influx of services from the Federal Emergency Management Agency in the coming days. People needing assistance who can’t easily access city centers can work with the county’s emergency manager or visit helparkansas.com for a list of available resources county by county.

In the wake of the storms, more than 200 National Guardsmen have been deployed to assist with traffic flow, water distribution and security in the affected areas.

Officials were unable to estimate the cost of the damage Friday.

“This will be a very significant and costly disaster,” Gary said.

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