On March 31, severe storms and tornadoes moved across the state of Arkansas, causing devastating damage to central Arkansas and the eastern half of the state. Six months later, the state of Arkansas and FEMA continue with recovery efforts.
News and Media: Disaster 4698
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FEMA remains in Arkansas to help survivors and communities recover from the March 31 severe storms and tornadoes. Though Disaster Recovery Centers have closed, FEMA will remain in Arkansas while assistance is needed.
Fact Sheets |
Arkansas homeowners and renters in Cross, Lonoke and Pulaski counties who sustained damage from the severe storms and tornadoes that occurred on March 31 have one week left to apply for federal disaster assistance. The deadline to apply is July 3.
Press Release |
The three remaining Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs) in Arkansas will close permanently June 28 at 6 p.m.
Press Release |
Arkansas homeowners and renters in Cross, Lonoke and Pulaski counties who sustained damage from the severe storms and tornadoes that occurred on March 31 have until July 3 to apply for disaster assistance from FEMA.
Press Release |
PDFs, Graphics & Multimedia
View the Disaster Multimedia Toolkit for social media and video content to help communicate about general disaster recovery.
FEMA P-320, Taking Shelter from the Storm: Building or Installing a Safe Room for Your Home
FEMA P-320 presents updated and refined criteria for residential safe rooms through reference to the newly updated fourth edition of FEMA P-361 (FEMA, 2021a), Safe Rooms for Tornadoes and Hurricanes: Guidance for Community and Residential Safe Rooms. FEMA P-320 draws on these updated criteria to address how to design and construct a safe room for a one- or two-family dwelling that provides near-absolute protection from wind and wind-borne debris for occupants.
Following publication of FEMA P-361 (2021), FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Assistance Branch provided an extended grace period for prefabricated residential safe rooms to comply with the testing, listing, and labeling requirements of ICC 500-2020 as referenced in FEMA P-361 (2021).
Be advised that the extended grace period allowing FEMA-funded prefabricated residential safe rooms to comply with FEMA P-361 (2015) and ICC 500-2014 expired on January 1, 2024. Accordingly, applications for FEMA-funded prefabricated residential safe rooms must now demonstrate compliance with FEMA P-361 (2021) and ICC 500-2020.
FEMA P-804: Wind Retrofit Guide for Residential Buildings
Developed in response to Hurricane Ida in Louisiana, the purpose of this guide is to provide guidance on how to improve the wind resistance of existing one- and two-family dwellings in hurricane-prone regions of the United States and its territories. This guide is not applicable to manufactured housing (MH) units or townhouse units.
Arkansas; FEMA-4698-DR
Report on Preliminary Damage Assessment (PDA) information for FEMA-4698-DR; Arkansas as a result of severe storms and tornadoes on March 31, 2023.
FEMA P-213, Answers to Questions About Substantially Improved/Substantially Damaged Buildings
The questions and answers in the 2018 update to FEMA 213 provide guidance for many concerns regarding Substantial Improvement (SI) and Substantial Damage (SD) of buildings in Special Flood Hazard Areas. The publication answers questions about pertinent definitions and regulations and some general questions about SI/SD and determining when buildings are Substantially Improved or have incurred Substantial Damage. Revised FEMA 213 also addresses common questions that arise about SI/SD in the post-disaster period. Each question refers readers to specific sections and more complete guidance in FEMA P-758, Substantial Improvement/Substantial Damage Desk Reference.
FEMA Building Science Resources to Assist with Reconstruction After an Extreme-Wind Event
FEMA has produced numerous publications detailing best practices for natural hazard mitigation associated with extreme-wind impacts. This Fact Sheet summarizes a few of the readily available publications and resources that can be used by homeowners, as well as design and construction professionals, during reconstruction following extreme-wind events.
FEMA P-312, Homeowner's Guide to Retrofitting 3rd Edition
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has prepared this guide specifically for homeowners who want to know how to protect their homes from flooding. As a homeowner, you need clear information about the options available to you and straightforward guidance that will help you make decisions. This guide gives you both, in a form designed for readers who have little or no experience with flood protection methods or building construction techniques.