Directs $250,000 to disaster response and recovery
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME – GREETINGS:
EO 26-03: DECLARATION OF EMERGENCY FOR SEVERE WINTER WEATHER EXPECTED ON OR ABOUT JANUARY 23, 2026
WHEREAS: On or about January 23, 2026, severe winter weather is expected to strike Arkansas and cause dangers, hardships, and suffering throughout the state, which in turn, warrants this executive action;
WHEREAS: Adverse circumstances may come to bear upon citizens and public properties in the State of Arkansas;
WHEREAS: The weather-related damage from these storms may require the use of commercial vehicles to transport equipment necessary to restore services to the citizens of the State of Arkansas;
WHEREAS: The affected political subdivisions require supplemental assistance from the state to respond to and recover from the expected losses; and
WHEREAS: Pursuant to 49 CFR §390.23, the Governor is authorized to declare a regional emergency for the duration of emergency conditions, not to exceed thirty (30) days from the date of the initial declaration of emergency, and any motor carrier or driver operating a commercial vehicle to provide emergency relief is temporarily exempt from the regulations found in 49 CFR §§ 390 through 399 for the duration of the declared emergency. Such emergency is in response to severe winter storms, extreme low temperatures and high fuel demand resulting in difficulty in distribution of necessary heating fuel, including propane, natural gas, and heating oil in the state, and the current and anticipated effects on people and property, including the immediate risk to public health, safety, and welfare.
NOW THEREFORE, I, SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS, acting under the authority vested in me as Governor of the State of Arkansas, and pursuant to Ark. Code Ann. §§ 12-75-101, et seq., do hereby declare a state of emergency and direct the sum of $250,000.00 to be obligated from the Governor’s Disaster Response and Recovery Fund, to be used at the discretion of the Director of the Arkansas Division of Emergency Management to defray both program and administrative costs.
FURTHERMORE, I do hereby declare that a state of emergency exists in the State of Arkansas as applied to emergency response vehicles and commercial carriers delivering essential supplies and services, such as, but not limited to, electricity, fuel, food, and medical equipment. This includes utility vehicles, bucket trucks, and electric utility supply trucks responding to the storms and related damage. These emergency response vehicles are authorized to bypass all Arkansas Department of Transportation weigh station facilities through February 23, 2026. This authorization does not include vehicles that require permits to operate on Arkansas’ roadways. This authorization does not relieve size and weight restrictions. This declaration only applies to weigh stations and to vehicles traveling in a convoy.
IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of Arkansas to be affixed this 22nd day of January, in the year of our Lord 2026
