FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Boozman, Sara Lasure or Matthew Wester

Cotton, Caroline Tabler or James Arnold

Crawford, Sara Robertson

Hill, Brooke Nethercott

Womack, Olivia Tripodi

Westerman, Sarah Henderson

Arkansas Delegation Supports Governor’s Request for Major Disaster Declaration

March 21, 2023

WASHINGTON — Representative Rick Crawford (AR-01) — along with U.S. Senators John Boozman and Tom Cotton and Congressmen French Hill, Steve Womack and Bruce Westerman — wrote to President Joe Biden urging him to support Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ request for a major disaster declaration for Bradley, Calhoun, Cleveland, Dallas, Desha, Drew, Grant, Jefferson, Lincoln, Nevada, Ouachita, Searcy and Stone Counties due to severe winter weather from January 30-February 2, 2023.

“Arkansans have demonstrated resourcefulness and resilience during this challenging time. But as it stands, we believe the magnitude of this weather event warrants supplemental federal assistance. The above-mentioned counties have seen homes, businesses, and important infrastructure severely damaged, and federal government resources will be critical in our restoration efforts,” members wrote in the letter.

The letter can be found here and below:

Dear Mr. President:

On behalf of the State of Arkansas, we are writing to support Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ request to declare a major disaster, pursuant to the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief Act, as a result of a winter storm beginning on January 30, 2023, and continued through February 2, 2023.

As Governor Sanders noted in her request, the severity of this event created disastrous amounts of debris, caused widespread power outages, and resulted in the death of two citizens. Preliminary damage estimates show a major impact to local jurisdictions in Bradley, Calhoun, Cleveland, Dallas, Desha, Drew, Grant, Jefferson, Lincoln, Nevada, Ouachita, Searcy, and Stone Counties totaling a staggering $8,946,609.68.

Governor Sanders has activated all emergency resources and the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management has coordinated all appropriate state agencies. However, Arkansas has been affected by additional severe weather events before and after this winter storm, including a Gubernatorial Declared disaster. Both the state and many of the local jurisdictions in this request are recovering from these other weather events as well.

Arkansans have demonstrated resourcefulness and resilience during this challenging time. But as it stands, we believe the magnitude of this weather event warrants supplemental federal assistance. The above-mentioned counties have seen homes, businesses, and important infrastructure severely damaged, and federal government resources will be critical in our restoration efforts.

The entire Arkansas delegation is eager to assist in any way possible to ensure expedited evaluation of this request. Please do not hesitate to contact our offices with any questions. We thank you for your support, and respectfully ask for your attention and assistance in providing the resources necessary to ensure the safety and full recovery of Arkansans.

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