BENTON COUNTY, ARKANSAS, Ark. — Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders requested a Major Disaster Declaration from President Joe Biden on May 29 in order to receive federal assistance for disaster relief efforts in Arkansas after many homes and businesses were destroyed by Sunday's tornadoes.
This request comes after Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Deanne Criswell confirmed that as soon as the agency received a request from the governor, it would be processed immediately to provide the necessary resources to Arkansans.
"We are working with the state director to make sure we have the right data, so we can process the request quickly," Criswell said. "As soon as we receive it, we'll be able to push that through the system so that we can start bringing in the additional resources that would become available with the presidential disaster declaration."
Hours after the press conference with elected officials and FEMA officials, Sanders released the following statement:
"I’ve seen the destruction caused by these storms and it is heartbreaking, but Arkansas is resilient because of her people—the neighbors, first responders, guardsmen and women, and volunteers—helping those in need. Our state is going to need all resources available to help rebuild. Following my conversation with President Biden Monday morning, and FEMA Administrator Criswell today, I submitted a formal request for a Major Disaster Declaration. If approved, these resources will help Arkansans rebuild and come back even stronger.”
Sen. John Boozman, Sen. Tom Cotton, Rep. Steve Womack, Rep. Rick Crawford, Rep. French Hill, and Rep. Bruce Westerman urged Biden to support Sanders' request for a major disaster declaration.
In the letter to Biden, the elected officials said FEMA's preliminary report of damage in Benton, Boone, and Marion counties was estimated to be around $6.4 million.
"At least 217 homes were destroyed with an additional 94 sustaining major damage," the letter said. "In total, over 478 homes were affected by the storms, leaving a large number of Arkansans displaced and many counties left without power for days."
Arkansas Department of Emergency Management Director A.J. Gary said FEMA representatives were in Arkansas just a few hours after the storms hit to begin assessing the damage and determine whether the state is eligible for federal assistance.
"Yesterday, we were able to put them along with the Arkansas team in the air to fly the entire damage area so that we could do some damage assessments [and] count the houses that were destroyed," Gary said. "Based on that data, we will be requesting a federal declaration and that will be coming out very soon and sent over to FEMA."
Criswell said FEMA has been on the ground to ensure they are bringing the right resources to help Arkansas cities like Decatur, Rogers, Centerton, and Bentonville recover.
"We are here to make sure we are bringing the right resources in to assist these communities on their road to recovery," she said.
In the meantime, she advised residents to stay vigilant as these communities can be dangerous with downed powerlines, downed trees, potential gas leaks, and more.
"Even though the storm has passed, the danger has not passed," Criswell said. "I want people to take caution and as they're moving through and helping with the recovery as they're helping to clean up, that there are still dangers out there. We want to make sure people are still taking care of themselves and their families. And they're keeping each other safe and continuing to look after those that are the most vulnerable in these communities."
Criswell said FEMA representatives will continue to assist the communities while federal assistance is being processed.
"We will continue to have people on the ground as we have already since just a few hours after the storm passed," Criswell said. "Region 6 Administrator Tony Robinson has sent folks down here, and they will stay and help the communities navigate the federal process as they're starting to submit that documentation and understand what the damages are."
Once FEMA approves the request, its website will have applications available.
According to Benton County officials, 794 people have self-reported damage to their homes as of Tuesday, May 28.
How to get assistance
For now, county officials encourage victims of Sunday's storms to report the damage through the Citizen Damage Reporter on the county's website.
"Individuals should only report damage if debris, such as trees, has punctured their home," the county said.
Citizens will need to submit clear photos of the damage done to the home. The reports will be reviewed by the Division of Public Safety.
Upon review, they will send over the damage report information to the state and FEMA to determine the eligibility for Individual Assistance.
"Individual Assistance is to assist individuals with uninsured losses to their homes," they said. "It does not help with vehicular damage, downed trees, or fences; it is strictly for a person’s residential structure only."
If the assistance becomes available, the county will reach out to those individuals and share the next steps for applying for Individual Assistance through the state or through FEMA.
"Good, accurate public surveys speed up assistance timeframe," the county said.
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