Deadlines to apply for federal disaster recovery funding nears
Stephen Simpson Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Arkansas residents and communities face deadlines this week to apply for individual and public assistance related to flooding that occurred from late May through mid-June along the Arkansas River, representatives of the Federal Emergency Management Agency said Monday.
More than $8 million has been given out in individual assistance and more than 50 requests have been made for public assistance related to the flooding, said Bettina Hutchings, a spokesperson for the agency.
Hutchings said the deadline to apply for individual assistance from the federal government is Wednesday, while eligible counties, municipalities and nonprofits have until Thursday to submit requests for public assistance.
Heavy rainfall in Kansas and Oklahoma led the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to release water from reservoirs in both states that eventually made its way downriver and into Arkansas, leading to severe flooding throughout the Arkansas River Valley and beyond. Hundreds of homes and businesses were flooded as the water worked its way from western Arkansas through central Arkansas and into the southeastern part of the state.
A major disaster declaration for Arkansas was amended in July to include public assistance categories in areas affected by flooding and severe storms that occurred between May 21 and June 14. Conway, Desha, Crawford, Faulkner, Franklin, Jefferson, Logan, Perry, Pulaski, Searcy, Sebastian and Yell counties all qualified for public assistance.
The public assistance program assists communities by providing grant assistance for debris removal; restoring public infrastructure; and life-saving emergency protective measures such as providing sandbags to protect homes and business, establishing shelters for residents affected by flooding and overtime costs for emergency personnel.
Hutchings said 58 requests for public assistance had been received by Monday. Fifteen were filed by private or nonprofit agencies, nine by state government, 15 by counties and 19 by cities or townships. No public assistance money has been given out yet, she said.
“Our inspectors are just now doing their assessments of the damage,” Hutchings said. “A private or non-profit can receive funding if they own or operate a service that the government would otherwise provide — for example, parochial schools, a school of higher education, an electric co-op or some community senior centers.”
On June 8 President Donald Trump approved Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s request to declare Arkansas a major disaster area. Approval came less than 24 hours after Hutchinson made the request for federal aid to meet housing and business needs across Conway, Crawford, Faulkner, Jefferson, Perry, Pulaski, Sebastian and Yell counties.
Since then 1,780 applications for individual assistance have been received by the agency, Hutchings said. Pulaski County led all counties with 453 registrants, followed by Jefferson County with 386 and Sebastian County with 325. Faulkner County had 216.
Registering for assistance does not guarantee that registrants will receive federal aid, Hutchings said. Applications are reviewed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, while the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management handles the distribution and monitoring of funds, Hutchings said.