HUTCHINSON declares state of emergency for Arkansas.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Wednesday declared a state of emergency in response to Hurricane Laura and authorized $250,000 from an emergency fund to help with the state’s preparations.
“Whenever you look at what we are to expect, in south Arkansas particularly, you can be prepared to see flash flooding, sustained winds from 40 to 45 mph,” Hutchinson said. “This means trees down. That means potential for power outages.”
A.J. Gary, director of the state Department of Public Safety’s Division of Emergency Management, said he was increasing staffing at the emergency operations center, which had already been activated in response to the coronavirus.
He said search-and-rescue teams in Northwest and Central Arkansas would be on standby, but cautioned that there “may be times when they can’t actually deploy because of the high winds.”
A team from the Federal Emergency Management Agency was expected to arrive in Arkansas today, he said.
Hutchinson said he had communicated with Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards to offer Arkansas’ assistance and expected “a request to come through in that regard in the next couple of days.”
He advised Arkansans to pay attention to weather forecasts and not to drive around barricades designed to keep traffic off flooded roads.
Entergy Arkansas said in a news release that it was “working to amass a workforce of nearly 1,200 restoration workers to respond to possible impacts.”
“Entergy Arkansas has reciprocal agreements with other utilities through which they help one another out after major weather events,” the company said in the release. “Workers will be staged in strategic locations to respond to outages after the storm has passed. Crews will focus on restoring emergency services first, then will prioritize work according to which repairs will restore power to the greatest number of customers.
The company said it would probably set up staging sites in El Dorado, Magnolia and Warren to supply workers.
It said precautions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus could affect the time it takes to assess damage and restore power.
Those include employees traveling separately when possible, wearing masks when necessary and “generally following CDC guidelines, all of which can add to the time required to complete work,” the utility said.
“The Company requests that customers keep their distance from workers in the field, for both safety and health reasons,” Entergy said.
The remnants of the Category 4 hurricane — and possibly Category 5 — are expected to track into southern Arkansas this morning, according to Tabitha Clark, a meteorologist and hydrologist for the National Weather Service in North Little Rock. From there, the storm is expected to move from the Hot Springs area into Little Rock and on to Hardy before exiting the state to the northeast on Friday.
Widespread rainfall totals of 4 to 6 inches are expected across much of the state, with 8 inches or more possible in some areas, according to the weather service. Winds greater than 39 mph are expected as early as today in southwest Arkansas and could reach 50 to 60 mph in some areas. Winds are expected to decrease as they move through the state. Tornadoes are also a possibility across much of the state.
Clark said this is the first time the National Weather Service has implemented a tropical storm warning for Arkansas.
“It speaks to the strength of this storm,” she said. “It’s going to still be at storm strength when it hits the state. We haven’t had one this strength since [Hurricane] Rita [in 2005].”
The main concern will be flooding, especially in southwest Arkansas.
The National Weather Service in Shreveport on Wednesday reported 4 inches of rain in parts of northern Howard County and more than 6 inches in some parts of Sevier County associated with tropical system Marco. The affected areas included Umpire in Howard County and the Gillham Lake area. The De Queen airport reported 4.3 inches.
“Initially it will be flash flooding, but if the Ouachita River gets an additional 5 to 6 inches of rain [today], then the river will be at a minor or moderate flood stage for at least a week,” Clark said. “The Little Missouri River, the Caddo River and those smaller creeks and tributaries around the Ouachita will be a concern.”
Miller County Emergency Management Director Joe Bennett said in a news release Wednesday that portions of southwest and western Arkansas are already 5 to 10 inches above average rainfall totals.
Bennett said he has been working with the American Red Cross on shelter locations, but they may be available only after the storm has passed.
“The current pandemic has placed restrictions on the opening of shelters,” he said. “Area hotels are of personal choice but will be open and have released restrictions on out-of-town evacuees from Texas and Louisiana.”
Ouachita and Ozark-St. Francis National Forests managers also encouraged visitors to use caution and to be aware of potential recreation area closures from anticipated rainfall. In a news release they warned visitors to watch for fallen trees or limbs, flooded creeks and potentially hazardous road conditions.
A few school districts, universities and colleges announced Wednesday that they will close or go to alternative schedules because of the weather concerns.
The Pulaski County Special School District will dismiss early today. Elementary schools will dismiss at 11:30 a.m. and secondary schools at 1 p.m.
Genoa Independent School District in Miller County and Hope Independent School District in Hempstead County will be closed today. Texarkana School District in Miller County and Ashdown School District in Little River County will go to off-site instruction today.
“All classes will be virtual,” spokesperson Genia Bullock said in a statement released by the Texarkana district. “We are aware that some of our traditional students have not received devices to take home. However, any student who does not have access to a device or the internet will not be penalized and will have opportunities to complete his or her assignments.”
University of Arkansas Hope-Texarkana will be closed today, along with University of Arkansas Cossatot Community College.
Texas A&M University-Texarkana, just across the state line in Texas, canceled classes for today and Friday, while Texarkana College, also in Texarkana, Texas, will move all instruction online for both days.