State of emergency declared in Arkansas, the situation in some parts of the state is critical

Conway, Arkansas – After the heavy rain swamped homes and closed roadways in the southeast part of the state, Gov. Asa Hutchinson had nothing to do but declare state of emergency on Thursday.

The situation with the floods is very critical, but even more rainfalls are expected in the upcoming days. A flash flood warning was issued for Desha, Drew and Lincoln counties until 6:25 p.m. Thursday.

According to the last information, many parts of the region received more than a foot of rain in the last 24 hours. The situation is by far worse in the city of Dumas where more than 20 inches of rain have fallen in less than 5 days.

Some of the residents in the city say they can only access their homes by boats. The Desha County Office of Emergency Management confirmed Thursday afternoon that water had breached a canal levee 19. The department said no evacuations were immediately needed, as the area affected by the breach is mostly farmland. The department was also concerned about canal levee 43, which was close to being topped.

As of now, more than $100,000 in aid has been allocated for the State’s Emergency Fund. “Business owners, farmers, and everyone in the area are feeling the impact of this weather event, and we’re moving quickly to help however we can,” Hutchinson said.

Luckily, no injuries or deaths have been reported so far, but homes, farmland and vehicles are completely damaged in the region.

Governor will visit the region on Friday.