FEMA officials tour tornado damage in Rogers [Video]

“As soon as we receive that request, we will push that through as soon as possible.”

BENTON COUNTY, ARKANSAS, Ark. — Arkansas Department of Emergency Management Director A.J. Gary confirmed the state will request a federal disaster declaration in order to attain federal assistance for disaster relief efforts after many homes and businesses were destroyed by tornados on Sunday, May 26.

“We are working with the state director to make sure we have the right data, so we can process the request quickly,” Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Deanne Criswell said. “As soon as we receive it, we’ll be able to push that through the system so that we can start bringing in the additional resources that would become available with the presidential disaster declaration.”

A timeline of when the federal assistance will be available was not provided.

Gary said FEMA representatives were in Arkansas just a few hours after the storms hit to begin …

Tags Emergency Aid, Emergency Assistance, Emergency Relief, Relief Efforts, Relief Organizations