ARKANSAS, USA — On Jan. 12, amid freezing temperatures and ahead of forecasted snowfall, Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced that she has activated the Arkansas National Guard and declared a state of emergency.
A spokeswoman for Gov. Sanders, Alexa Henning, confirmed that the Arkansas National Guard will be providing support beginning Sunday, Jan. 14, assisting the Arkansas State Police (ASP) with winter weather operations.
Henning confirmed that Sanders met with officials with the Arkansas National Guard, the Arkansas Department of Public Safety, and the Arkansas Division of Emergency Management during a meeting about potential winter weather.
On top of activating the Arkansas National Guard, Henning also reports that Sanders signed two executive orders, one to declare a state of emergency, and another limiting regulations against commercial vehicle operations in an attempt to expand service during the storms.
“The Governor also signed two Executive Orders in the meeting, the first to declare a state of emergency for severe weather expected on or about January 14th, providing $250,000 from the Governor’s Disaster Response and Recovery Fund to defray costs at the Division of Emergency Management," Sanders' office said. "The second exempts certain commercial vehicles, such as utility trucks and trucks hauling essential items of commerce, including fuel, groceries, livestock, and others, from federal regulations restricting hours of service."
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