Arkansas

FORT CHAFFEE, Ark. (06/16/2008) - A severe thunderstorm swept through the Fort Chaffee and Fort Smith, Ark. area Sunday night forcing the evacuation of approximately 500 Illinois Army National Guard Soldiers from a remote training area. The Soldiers were moved into permanent barracks on Fort Chaffee due to wind damage to several tents the Soldiers were using for training at a Forward Operating Base.

Storm-damaged National Guard housing: Fort Chaffee, Ark. – Visible storm damage to temporary military housing at a remote training site after a series of severe storms passed through Sunday evening. Several Soldiers were injured; no injuries were serious.    » read more »

Jun 13, 2008 -- Too many Arkansas families today are struggling under the weight of increasingly higher gas prices. With $4.04 now the national average price per gallon, and experts predicting a year ahead of continued misery at the pump, the burden on our people and our communities is growing heavier.

We have watched as high gas prices forced families to postpone summer vacations, as gas prices made people think twice about driving for that weekend trip they'd planned, but recently, gas prices have taken an even greater toll.    » read more »

Federal Disaster Assistance Coming

May 28, 2008 -- LITTLE ROCK - Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe today signed the latest disaster-relief agreement with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to make federal individual-assistance funds available to storm victims in Arkansas and Phillips Counties. On the night of May 10, an EF3 tornado struck Stuttgart in Arkansas County and straight-line winds did significant damage in Phillips County. In addition to individual assistance for storm victims, Arkansas County is also qualified for public assistance to help cover the costs of rebuilding infrastructure in and around Stuttgart.    » read more »

May 20, 2008 -- The President (George W. Bush) today declared a major disaster exists in the State of Arkansas and ordered Federal aid to supplement State and local recovery efforts in the area struck by severe storms, flooding, and tornadoes beginning on May 2, 2008, and continuing.

The President's action makes Federal funding available to affected individuals in the counties of Benton, Cleburne, Conway, Crittenden, Grant, Lonoke, Mississippi, Pulaski, Saline, and Van Buren.

Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.    » read more »

Dallas, Texas, May 19, 2008 -- Six facilities from Arkansas and Texas will be recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency for exemplary environmental programs that reduce pollution at the 2008 National Environmental Partnership Summit in Baltimore on May 21.

The facilities are part of EPA's National Environmental Performance Track, and they include the following: Atlas Copco Drilling Solutions of Garland, Texas; Eaton Hydraulics Operation of Searcy, Arkansas; Firestone Building Products of Corsicana, Texas; Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company of Fort Worth, Texas; Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, Texas; and Standard Aero, Inc. of San Antonio, Texas.    » read more »

ARLINGTON, Va. (05/12/2008) - National Guard members in four states were called out by their governors to assist civil authorities May 12 after tornados crossed the Southwest May 10 and flooding on the Delaware coast left communities in need of emergency assistance.

Arkansas Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Lucas Jennings discusses tornado response missions in Arkansas: Arkansas National Guard photo

Since May 7, the National Weather Service has confirmed at least 42 tornados in the southern Plains and the southeastern and middle Atlantic regions of the nation with the strongest tornado recorded May 10 as an F-4. It developed from a super cell storm that tracked through three states.    » read more »

May 12, 2008 -- LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe today declared Arkansas and Phillips Counties state disaster areas due to the damage caused by tornadoes and thunderstorms on Saturday, May 10. The declarations are the latest in a long season of severe weather.

Tornado devastation in Arkansas: Photo by Debra (CC)

Beebe declared 11 counties disaster areas after the May 2 tornadoes, 60 counties after the floods and tornadoes of March and April and 13 counties following the record-setting tornado outbreak of February 5.    » read more »

May 2, 2008 -- LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe has declared Benton, Cleburne, Conway, Grant, Pulaski, Saline and Van Buren Counties state disaster areas due to the damage caused by powerful tornadoes and violent thunderstorms on Friday, May 2. More counties will be added to this list as preliminary damage assessments are done in other counties.

Lightning strikes in Arkansas: Photo by Melissa Jones (CC)    » read more »

April 18, 2008 -- The Department of Defense announced today the death of two Marines who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

1st Sgt. Luke J. Mercardante, 35, of Athens, Georgia

Cpl. Kyle W. Wilks, 24, of Rogers, Arkansas

Both Marines died April 15 while conducting combat operations in Kandahar province, Afghanistan.

They were both assigned to Combat Logistics Battalion 24, 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejuene, N.C.

Source: DOD

Apr 13, 2008 -- LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe today declared Chicot, Hempstead, Little River, Nevada, Poinsett, and Sebastian Counties state disaster areas due to damage caused by the latest round of severe storms and heavy rains.

These six counties will be added to the previous disaster declarations of recent weeks, bringing the total number of declared counties to 58 since March 19.

Flooding on the Arkansas River: Photo by dewonn43 (CC)    » read more »

WASHINGTON (AFPN) -- Airmen from McEntire Joint National Guard Base, S.C., recently provided satellite imagery to assist state and federal agencies in relief efforts following flooding in Missouri and Arkansas.

Members of the 169th Communications Flight at McEntire Joint National Guard Base collected imagery using Eagle Vision, a mobile commercial imagery direct downlink system, to use in damage assessment and reconstruction in the two states.    » read more »

Apr 10, 2008 -- LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe today declared Clark, Cleburne, Jefferson, Lee, Mississippi and Phillips Counties state disaster areas due to damage caused by severe storms and heavy rains on April 3 and 4.

These six counties will be added to the previous disaster declarations of recent weeks, bringing the total number of declared counties since to 52.

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) teams are wrapping up their damage assessments from last week's storms and determining federal aid for affected counties and individual victims.    » read more »

LITTLE ROCK, Ark., April 9, 2008 -- Federal disaster aid programs provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are available under a presidential disaster declaration to eligible residents living in Baxter, Benton, Independence, Jackson, Lawrence, Logan, Madison, Marion, Randolph, Stone and Woodruff.

Arkansas River Flooding: Photo by dewonn43 / David (CC)

If you don't have access to your home or the place you rented is uninhabitable because of flooding that occurred in March and April, you may request reimbursement for temporary housing. FEMA is making every effort to locate possible rental resources in or around disaster-stricken areas.    » read more »

Apr 8, 2008 -- LITTLE ROCK– Today, Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel announced a large response to the 156 letters sent March 18th to licensed payday lenders demanding they cease illegal lending practices in Arkansas.

As of today, the Attorney General’s office has received direct word from fifty-two companies advising that they will comply with the laws of Arkansas, which were outlined in the March 18th letter.

Payday loans sign: Photo by Meghann Marco (CC)    » read more »

Apr 7, 2008 -- LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe today declared Lonoke and Pike Counties state disaster areas due to damage caused by severe storms and heavy rains on April 3 and 4.

These two counties will be added to the previous disaster declarations of recent weeks, bringing the total number of declared counties to 46.

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) teams are still assessing damage from recent Arkansas storms and flooding to determine if the latest storms qualify for federal assistance for individual victims.    » read more »