THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
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For Immediate Release
December 28 , 2000
PRESIDENT CLINTON DECLARES AN EMERGENCY EXISTS IN
THE STATE OF ARKANSAS
President Clinton today declared an emergency exists in the State of
Arkansas and ordered federal aid to supplement state and local recovery
efforts in the area struck by a severe winter ice storm beginning on
December 12, 2000, and continuing.
President Clinton's action authorizes FEMA to coordinate all disaster
relief efforts which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and
suffering caused by the emergency on the local population, and to provide
appropriate assistance for required emergency measures, authorized under
Title V of the Stafford Act, to save lives, protect property and public
health and safety, or to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in the
counties of Arkansas, Benton, Bradley, Calhoun, Clark, Cleveland, Columbia,
Crawford, Crittenden, Cross, Dallas, Desha, Drew, Faulkner, Franklin,
Garland, Grant, Hot Spring, Howard, Hempstead, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson,
Lafayette, Lee, Lincoln, Little River, Logan, Lonoke, Madison, Miller,
Mississippi, Monroe, Montgomery, Nevada, Ouachita, Perry, Pike, Polk,
Poinsett, Prairie, Pulaski, St. Francis, Saline, Scott, Sebastian, Sevier,
Washington, White, Woodruff, Union, and Yell.
Specifically, FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide at
its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts
of the emergency. Assistance for debris removal (Category A) and emergency
protective measures (Category B) will be provided at 75 percent Federal
funding.
James L. Witt, Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA), named Joe Bray as the Federal Coordinating Officer for Federal
recovery operations in the affected area.
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