Arkansas emergency officials ready to respond once severe storms move in
As Arkansas faces the threat of severe storms this week, state emergency officials are stepping up their efforts to protect communities across the region.
As Arkansas faces the threat of severe storms this week, state emergency officials are stepping up their efforts to protect communities across the region.
As Arkansas faces the threat of severe storms this week, state emergency officials are stepping up their efforts to protect communities across the region.
As Arkansas faces the threat of severe storms this week, state emergency officials are stepping up their efforts to protect communities across the region. The Arkansas Division of Emergency Management is working with the Arkansas National Guard and other local agencies to closely monitor the storm system moving across the state.
Emergency teams are already responding to reports of widespread damage in the northeastern part of Arkansas after tornadoes and storms hit the area Wednesday.
“Preliminary reports indicate damage to homes, trees, power lines and roadways caused by wind gusts, hail, tornadoes, and flash flooding,” said Lacey Kanipe, the public information officer with ADEM.
With additional rain in the forecast, officials said flooding remains a serious concern.
“We’ve really been working to fulfill resource requests for sandbags,” Kanipe said.
The Arkansas National Guard is also on standby, ready to deploy at a moment’s notice. According to Colonel Noel Lynch, the response begins at the local level, but the Guard is prepared to step in when support is needed.
"The local police, sheriff's offices, they handle the requests. And when it gets too big for them, they make the request up to ADEM, through their county judges, and make sure that we get the request, and we go respond where needed," Lynch said.
Forty-two soldiers are stationed in Mountain Home and Jonesboro, ready with high-water vehicles and command-and-control teams.
Officials are urging residents to take the severe threat seriously and to be proactive about their safety.
“Continue to monitor the weather for updates, make sure you have a way to receive those notifications,” Kanipe said.
“I think the biggest thing to do is really watch the weather and listen to your local authorities. And if they say it’s time to evacuate, you need to go,” Lynch said.
Officials also remind Arkansans to identify their safe places now. They said the best location is an interior room with no windows on the lowest level of their home.