Arkansas Congressional Delegation Requests Federal Disaster Assistance for 39 Counties

WASHINGTON— U.S. Senators John Boozman and Tom Cotton, along with Congressmen Rick Crawford (AR-1), French Hill (AR-2), Steve Womack (AR-3) and Bruce Westerman (AR-4) today urged President Barack Obama to support Governor Asa Hutchinson’s request for a major disaster declaration for Arkansas.

From December 23, 2015 through January 23, 2016, Arkansas experienced a pattern of destructive storms, severe flooding and tornadoes, resulting in three fatalities and severe damage to hundreds of homes across the state. As they always do in time of crisis, Arkansans have come to the aid of their neighbors; however, the extent of the damage has surpassed the state government’s ability to respond. State and community agencies are working tirelessly to assist citizens and begin the process of cleaning up and ultimately rebuilding. Resources at the state and local level, including the Arkansas National Guard, Arkansas Forestry Commissions and the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department, are being fully utilized, but greater assistance is needed to help communities recover.

For that reason, Arkansas’s congressional delegation supports Governor Hutchinson’s request for a major disaster declaration for the following counties in the State of Arkansas: Benton, Bradley, Boone, Calhoun, Carroll, Clay, Crawford, Dallas, Drew, Faulkner, Franklin, Greene, Jackson, Jefferson, Little River, Independence, Izard, Lawrence, Little River, Lee, Logan, Madison, Marion, Mississippi, Montgomery, Ouachita, Perry, Pike, Polk, Randolph, Scott, Searcy, Sebastian, Sevier, Stone, Washington, White, Woodruff and Yell.