LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed an executive order on Friday to release funds to support damage caused by storms in 2025.
The governor’s order cites April 2, 2025, “severe storms, tornadoes, and flooding” as the reason for releasing $35,000. The order states that the funds are necessary because “The affected political subdivisions require supplemental assistance from the state to recover from these losses.”
The April 2 storm system triggered 47 tornado warnings across the Natural State, affecting 26% of the state. The Arkansas Division of Emergency Management reported the day after the storms that injuries and damage were recorded in 22 counties, including: Arkansas, Clay, Craighead, Crittenden, Faulkner, Fulton, Greene, Independence, Izard, Jackson, Lafayette, Lawrence, Lee, Perry, Poinsett, Pope, Prairie, Randolph, Saline, Sharp, St. Francis, and Woodruff.
According to the order, the funds come from the Governor’s Disaster Response and Recovery Fund and will be used “at the discretion of the Director of the Arkansas Division of Emergency Management to defray both program and administrative costs.”