Governor asks feds to declare disaster in 31 Arkansas counties

Torrential floods devastated Northeast Arkansas earlier this spring and the damage could top hundreds of millions of dollars in agriculture and other losses. Gov. Asa Hutchinson has submitted a formal request for a federal disaster declaration to the Trump administration for 31 Arkansas counties affected by severe storms, flooding and tornadoes in April and May.

“With the completion of the thorough damage assessment by FEMA and the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management, I am now formally requesting that President Trump issue a federal disaster declaration for the the state of Arkansas as a result of the severe storms and flooding that devastated 31 counties and caused more than $13 million in damage,” Hutchinson said.

Those counties include: Baxter, Benton, Boone, Carroll, Clay, Cleburne, Conway, Craighead, Cross, Faulkner, Fulton, Independence, Izard, Jackson, Lawrence, Madison, Marion, Mississippi, Montgomery, Newton, Ouachita, Perry, Poinsett, Prairie, Pulaski, Randolph, Saline, Washington, White, Woodruff and Yell.

Hutchinson declared the affected counties as state disaster areas earlier in May. Due to the extensive nature of the flooding and the inaccessibility of certain areas, the in-depth damage assessment for the federal declaration of emergency took longer to complete.

The University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture released a report two weeks ago that indicated the damage done to the agriculture industry in the state due to floods in Northeast Arkansas could top $175 million.

That estimate is likely to grow significantly in the coming weeks and could approach the estimated $335 million lost during the 2011 floods in the same region. The preliminary report estimates the number of acres lost or damaged and the effects on yields. It doesn’t take into account infrastructure, equipment, preventive planning and other losses. Those could include costs such as replacing tractors, grain bins, barns, sheds, irrigation systems, and others. In the coming weeks, those numbers should be tabulated.

The agriculture losses do not include businesses, homes, or damage caused to governmental facilities such as buildings and roadways.

When the Black River at Pocahontas overwhelmed an earthen levee system, a wall of water blanketed the countryside. Floods along the river and others damaged or destroyed about 970,000 farmland acres. Insurance regulations require farmers to have rice replanted by the extended deadline of June 9.

“I am hopeful that this request will result in some relief for those still reeling from the damage caused by the storms of the last two months,” Hutchinson said.