Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed an executive order on Jan. 30 to declare a state of emergency in the midst of severe winter weather across the state.
The order also directs $250,000 from the Governor’s Disaster Response and Recovery Fund to be used at the discretion of the director of the Arkansas Division of Emergency Management. The purpose of the funds, according to the order, is to “defray both program and administrative costs.”
Gov. Sanders also activated the state’s National Guard on Jan. 30 to assist with the spate of extreme weather.
The state has been bracing for sleet, freezing rain and ice accumulations in the coming days that can make for dangerous conditions for drivers and people caught outside in the storm. Entergy Arkansas has been staging crews and equipment across the state in preparation for the possibility of power outages.
On Jan. 31, Gov. Sanders issued a proclamation declaring a state of emergency as it applies to commercial vehicles and carriers, in response to the likelihood of downed power lines and delivery backlogs caused by the winter weather.
The declaration temporarily exempts drivers providing “emergency relief” from certain regulations and temporarily suspends provisions applied to 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 Energy and Environment and the Arkansas Department of Public Safety,” according to the statement.
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