Federal assistance is now available for Arkansas residents impacted by the severe storms and tornadoes that struck parts of the state on March 14 and 15, officials said Thursday.
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump approved a major disaster declaration for Arkansas after denying the request last month.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is offering financial aid to eligible homeowners and renters in nine counties: Greene, Hot Spring, Independence, Izard, Jackson, Lawrence, Randolph, Sharp, and Stone.
The aid may help cover serious disaster-related needs, including temporary housing, essential home repairs, personal property loss, and other storm-related expenses.
Residents with homeowners’ or renters’ insurance are urged to file claims with their insurers first, as FEMA cannot duplicate benefits already covered by insurance policies. Officials say applicants may qualify for federal assistance if their insurance does not cover all of their disaster-related losses.
The FEMA assistance is limited to damages caused by the March 14-15 storms and does not extend to damage from later weather events.
To apply for FEMA disaster assistance under “Major Disaster Declaration DR-4865-AR,” survivors can:
- Visit www.disasterassistance.gov
- Download and use the FEMA mobile app
- Call the FEMA helpline at 800-621-3362 from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. CT. Multilingual help is available.
Applicants should have their insurance information, contact details, current and pre-disaster addresses, Social Security number (if available), a general description of damage, and banking information for direct deposit.
FEMA may provide grants for repairs, replacement of uninsured property and other disaster recovery needs. In addition, the U.S. Small Business Administration is offering low-interest disaster loans to businesses, nonprofits, homeowners and renters. Like FEMA, the SBA cannot duplicate insurance benefits.
For more information, visit fema.gov/disaster/4865. Updates and resources are also available through FEMA Region 6’s social media pages at x.com/FEMARegion6 and facebook.com/FEMARegion6.
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