LOWELL, Ark. — The Arkansas National Guard was deployed in Lowell when snow started to cover most of the roads in Washington and Benton Counties on Jan. 14.
Ahead of forecasted snowfall on Jan. 12, Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders activated the Arkansas National Guard and declared a state of emergency.
This declaration deployed 168 National Guard members to help with winter operations across Arkansas. All National Guard troops were officially released by Arkansas State Police on Jan. 16.
Between Jan. 14 and Jan. 15, Troop L was stationed in Northwest Arkansas. They were patrolling south of the Bobby Hopper Tunnel and northbound on I-49 toward the Arkansas-Missouri border. There was also a troop stationed in Forth Smith.
According to Maj. Cibeles Ramirez-Rodriguez, guards members in Northwest Arkansas and the River Valley helped 28 civilians over the two days.
Not only was the National Guard working to keep motorists safe in the area, but they were also working to assist first responders.
"In the case that it is necessary, we can pull our first responder vehicles out," National Guard specialist Angela Gaucin said. "We can also take in people that we encounter into our vehicles and give them water and provide them with as much immediate warmth as we possibly can.
Ramirez-Rodriguez said guards members in Northwest Arkansas and the River Valley assisted three first responder transports, bringing the total engagements to 31 in 5COUNTRY.
In the state, National Guard members had a total of 108 interactions—97 civilian assists and 11 first responder transports.
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