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from President Donald Trump for the March 14-15 storms.

The governor is requesting individual assistance and U.S.

Small Business Administration loans for people in Greene, Hot Spring, Independence, Izard, Jackson, Lawrence, Randolph, Sharp and Stone counties, as well as hazard mitigation statewide.

In making the announcement, Sanders said she believes the declaration will help people impacted by the severe storms.

“The destruction caused by these tornadoes is devastating. The Arkansans who lost their homes, businesses and loved ones in this storm need help to get back on their feet and rebuild. We are thankful for the leadership of President Trump and I’m submitting this Major Disaster Declaration request and hope we can get additional assistance from the federal government.”

In the 12-page request, officials noted that the dangerous impact of the storms.

At least 10 of the tornadoes were rated EF-2 or higher as of March 17, while six of the tornadoes had paths of 18 miles or longer. Officials said three of the tornadoes tracked 32, 45 and 81 miles (the one that struck Cushman and Cave City, which was on the ground for an hour and 35 minutes).

Officials also noted that the tornado outbreak was the second largest in the state since April 2011, while the number of EF-3+ tornadoes was the highest seen since Jan. 1999.

In addition to the tornadoes, large hail and damaging winds were also reported with hail as large as baseball-sized, pounding the state.

The National Weather Service also reported 59 mph winds earlier in the day at the Jonesboro Municipal Airport, according to the request.

Officials also said in the request that nearly 450 homes around the state received some sort of damage, including 156 that were destroyed, 93 with major damage and 89 with minor damage.

The request also noted several area businesses and farms were either destroyed or received damage, with Cave City residents seeing the loss of several businesses.

“Also, in Cave City, the town’s only funeral home, health clinic, pharmacy and auto parts store were badly damaged or completely destroyed. A multi-unit storage facility was also completely leveled, leaving many residents to comb through the rubble to try to reclaim the remnants of their lives,” the request noted. “The loss of these critical businesses was a devastating blow to this community and will be felt for years to come.”

The town also lost a major cell tower in the middle of the city, leading to impact on communications.

To the east, Campbell Station also lost its fire station to the storms while the Jacksonport Volunteer Fire Department also had damage to their firehouse.

“Because of this (Campbell Station), firefighters will now have to be deployed from the town of Tuckerman, which will delay responses by at least 8 miles. This will cost critical time and potential loss of life that could have been saved during any emergency response situation,” officials said. “Jacksonport Volunteer Fire Department also sustained damage to their firehouse and a few of their fire apparatuses, which will cause delayed response times to the Jacksonport community.”

Officials estimate that the state’s current public assistance categories, for help, has exceeded $11.6 million, with debris totals estimated at around $3.7 million. Also, Electric Cooperatives around

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the state estimated more than $8.6 million in damages as well.

The state’s congressional delegation also sent a letter in support of the declaration.

The letter was signed by Sens. John Boozman (R-Ark.) and Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Reps. Rick Crawford (RJonesboro), French Hill (RLittle Rock), Steve Womack (R-Rogers) and Bruce Westerman (R-Hot Springs).

Boozman said the delegation will work to support the declaration, as well as residents in the state.

“The Arkansas Congressional Delegation supports Gov.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ request for a major disaster declaration as a result of the severe storms and tornadoes that occurred earlier this month. We are eager to ensure expedited evaluation to assist impacted Arkansans,” Boozman said.