TRUMANN, Ark. — On Wednesday, FEMA and the Small Business Administration began their visit to the five Arkansas counties impacted by last week's storm to assess residential and commercial damage.
Two teams of FEMA and SBA representatives are expected to be in Arkansas through the end of the week.
“We are assessing the situation, looking at the different types of damages and how widespread the damages are," FEMA Public Information Officer Earl Armstrong said. "And gathering information in those counties that we talked about to help the state make a decision whether or not to proceed with a request for disaster declaration.”
In Trumann on Wednesday afternoon, representatives walked through impacted neighborhoods with local guides. FEMA and SBA officials took pictures and spoke with owners in an effort to quantify the storm damage.
“We’re not stopping at every house. Because sometimes you can tell, you know, if the house is gone, you know it’s destroyed. We are trying to get the assessments done as quick as we can so that the decision can be made as quickly as it can,” Armstrong added.
Governor Hutchinson estimated Tuesday that in order to be eligible for that disaster declaration, there would need to be between four to five million dollars in damages in Arkansas.
FEMA expects to have most of their data tallied by the weekend, but it could be months before the state is able determine if the totals are enough to meet the threshold for federal aid eligibility.
For those in need of immediate relief, the Trumann community has set up a hub for volunteers and donations at the Trumann Recreation Center.
The center has free food, water, clothing, extra generators, and more for anyone in need. This, as organizers say local restaurants bring in daily food donations.
Volunteers are also working to deliver these supplies to impacted families that may not be able to travel to the recreation center.
Trumann Chief of Police Jonathan Redman said this aid wouldn’t be possible without community volunteer help.
“[Volunteers are] coming in, they look like me — they’re tired, you know? We’ve been going at this for at least 12 hours a day, sometimes 15, 18 hours a day. But you know, for us, it’s just a privilege to serve,” Redman said.
Chief Redman added that they’ll keep the operation running as long as there’s a need in the community.
Governor Asa Hutchinson is expected to visit Trumann Thursday afternoon to meet with local leaders about the town’s response.