Beebe seeks federal help for storm damage

Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe has sent a letter to President Obama requesting a major disaster declaration for 57 Arkansas counties impacted by severe storms, tornadoes and floods beginning April 14, according to a statement released Sunday by the Governor’s office.

In the Fort Smith area, Crawford and Franklin counties are on the list.

Beebe on Saturday declared 57 of Arkansas’ 75 counties disaster areas because of significant flood and tornado damage.

Those counties include Arkansas, Baxter, Benton, Bradley, Boone, Calhoun, Carroll, Chicot, Clark, Clay, Cleburne, Cleveland, Conway, Craighead, Crawford, Crittenden, Cross, Dallas, Desha, Drew, Faulkner, Franklin, Fulton, Garland, Grant, Hot Spring, Howard, Independence, Izard, Jackson, Lawrence, Lincoln, Lonoke, Madison, Marion, Mississippi, Monroe, Montgomery, Newton, Perry, Phillips, Pike, Polk, Prairie, Pulaski, Randolph, Saline, Searcy, Sharp, St. Francis, Stone, Van Buren, Washington, White, Woodruff, and Yell.

Beebe’s request asks for federal assistance for individuals and households directly impacted by the storms. Along with direct federal aid, storm victims would be eligible for temporary housing, disaster unemployment assistance, crisis counseling, and Small Business Administration disaster loans.

According to the Governor’s office, damage-assessment teams have counted 1,018 homes affected by the storms. This includes 174 homes destroyed and 81 additional homes with major damages. The majority of destroyed or heavily damaged homes have been in Faulkner, Garland and Randolph Counties. Assessments will continue this week.

Six of the 14 weather-related deaths in Arkansas this week have been flood-related.

Teams from the Federal Emergency Management Agency have worked in Arkansas for three days alongside the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management assessing damage to public and private property.

The assessments by the teams may be used to support Beebe’s request for federal assistance.