Gov. Hutchinson issues disaster declarations for 12 counties (Updated)

Gov. Asa Hutchinson has issued disaster declarations for 12 counties following this weekend’s storms.

According to a release from the governor’s office, those counties “at this time,” are Benton, Calhoun, Carroll, Drew, Franklin, Logan, Madison, Ouachita, Perry, Polk, Searcy and Washington.

The counties were hit by storms, flooding and tornadoes beginning Dec. 23.

Hutchinson said in his declaration that he was invoking emergency executive powers to suspend regulating statues regarding procedures governing the State Office of Purchasing, the Arkansas Building Authority, the State Office of Personnel Management, and “all other state departments and agencies to render maximum assistance to the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management relative to any potential impediment to the rapid and orderly rendering of assistance to political subdivisions.”

UPDATED INFO: The following counties were added Dec. 29 to the disaster list: Baxter, Chicot, Crawford, Jackson, Jefferson, Little River, Marion, Montgomery, and Sebastian.