Four people have died in the east Arkansas city of Wynne, while Pulaski County officials have confirmed one death in North Little Rock following severe weather across much of the state Friday.
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders joined Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr. and other city officials around 8:30 Friday evening at Little Rock Police headquarters. She said her administration is preparing for a rising death toll, calling it a “very hard day for the State of Arkansas.”
“We will ensure that every Arkansan who needs assistance has it. Our message and our mission is really simple: the people will come first and the paperwork will come second,” Sanders said, noting that about 100 members of the Arkansas National Guard are currently aiding in search and rescue efforts across the state.
The governor said the state is deploying mobile health units to Wynne and Cross County to help treat injured residents, but added that no hospitals in the central Arkansas area have been overwhelmed by an influx of people seeking treatment.
Sanders urged residents to contact their local county emergency management agency for assistance, ensuring 911 operators are open for emergency calls only. Scott said he’s been in “constant contact” with Sanders, thanking her for granting his request for an emergency declaration.
“It grays the heart to see many of our residents who are now displaced across the city as a result of these tornadoes. We want to assure the public that your first responders are going above and beyond to ensure public safety, health and welfare,” Scott said. “I couldn’t be more proud of the work that they’re doing and will continue to do throughout the night, the weekend and the coming days.”
Arkansas State Police Lt. Col. Jason Aaron says they currently have troopers deployed across the central Arkansas area, assisting local law enforcement in Little Rock, North Little Rock, Jacksonville and Cabot. He said emergency response troopers have also been placed in Cross County, mainly focused on recovery efforts in Wynne.
Little Rock Fire Department Chief Delphone Hubbard said a fire station on Shackleford Road in west Little Rock was heavily damaged by the tornado, but also served as an impromptu shelter for local residents. He said firefighters were mostly responding to calls of downed trees and power lines as well as overturned cars, saying the department has partnered with Little Rock Police and Metropolitan Emergency Medical Services to go door-to-door and provide triage care in the city’s hardest hit areas.
Hubbard said it’s still unclear just how many people were injured in Friday’s storms. Little Rock Police Assistant Chief Andre Dyer said they’re restricting access to certain areas, primarily a swath of west Little Rock encompassing about 2,100 residents.
“There were a lot of areas hit today in this city. There’s going to be some displaced individuals. We will do all that we can to secure those areas to make sure that there’s no looting that takes place. We will enforce the law to the highest extent for those that believe they can come into the area and take advantage of this horrific event,” Dyer said.
Gov. Sanders said she spoke Friday evening with Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell, who said resources will be made available to Arkansas “as quickly as they can.”
“We’ve already opened up a number of significant resources from a state level, and feel confident that we can address whatever needs that the people of Arkansas have with the resources we have available,” Sanders said, noting the state has already committed $250,000 for disaster relief “with significant room to grow.”
Mayor Scott says city officials expect to give another update on the situation Saturday morning.
