County May Get Federal Disaster Aid

RISON - Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced Monday that she is asking President Joe Biden to grant a Major Disaster Declaration for Cleveland County and 12 other counties in the state following damages caused by the early February winter storm. In her statement released Monday afternoon, Sanders noted that the winter storm caused widespread power out-ages, damage to infrastructure, and deaths. Cleveland County was one of the hardest hit areas of the state as about one-half to one inch of ice snapped trees and knocked out power to as much as 99 percent of the county at the height of the storm. The frozen precipitation fell Feb. 1-2. "Today, I submitted a formal request to President Biden to secure a Major Disaster Declara-tion to support communities across the state of Arkansas impacted by the winter storms earlier this year," Sanders said in the prepared statement released Monday afternoon. "The sheer magnitude of this event created disastrous amounts of debris, caused extensive power outages, and resulted in the death of two Arkansans and the injury of many others. "We have determined that these storms are of such severity and magnitude that effective response is beyond the capabilities of the State and affected local governments, and that supplementary federal assistance is necessary," she added. "Thirteen hard-hit Arkansas counties have sustained significant damage to infrastructure, businesses, agriculture, and property – and we must provide these Arkansans with the assistance they need to fully recover." After completing a damage assessment in the affected areas across the state, Sanders requested public assistance for Cleveland County as well as Bradley, Calhoun, Cleveland, Dallas, Desha, Drew, Grant, Jefferson, Lincoln, Nevada, Ouachita, Searcy, and Stone Counties. The request also included hazard mitigation statewide. A disaster declaration issued by the state means the state will cover 25 per...