Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced at a press conference today (Aug. 26) that he signed an emergency declaration in regards to the expected severe weather from Hurricane Laura. He anticipates flash flooding and high winds, which can bring trees and power lines down.
There will be $250,000 available from emergency funds to help the state of Arkansas prepare for flooding and other anticipated damages from the weather conditions.
“The action that we are taking is to have our search and rescue teams on standby,” said Hutchinson. “We are also activating our emergency operation center which means they’ll be acting on two current emergencies for the time being, but they will be prepared to respond as needed to the situation in South Arkansas.”
Hutchinson said that he reached out to the governor of Louisiana to offer assistance if needed.
According to Hutchinson, Arkansans should pay attention to the weather to get the latest updates on Hurricane Laura and where it is heading.
“This could be where it actually enters the state of Arkansas as a tropical storm which means it has a high level of sustained winds,” he said. “That would raise the level of concern even to a higher level.”
It is important to not drive around barricades and instead turn around to find another route.
Director A.J. Gary of the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management said that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is bringing in a team to assist Arkansas prepare for the storm.
The National Weather Service held a weather briefing yesterday with all of the county emergency managers across the state “to make sure that we were all on the same page [and] they knew we were here to assist them.”
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