Governor declares seven counties disaster areas -- Update

Governor Beebe has declared Benton, Cleburne, Conway, Grant, Pulaski, Saline and Van Buren Counties state disaster areas due to the damage caused by powerful tornadoes and violent thunderstorms yesterday. More counties will be added to this list as preliminary damage assessments are done in other counties.

The Arkansas Department of Emergency Management will work in the coming days to establish locations for Disaster Recovery Centers in the declared counties. Early this evening, Governor Beebe spoke with President Bush about the storms and ADEM Director David Maxwell has spoken with Federal Emergency Management Agency Director David Paulison. Both conversations indicated there would be continued swift federal response to Arkansas's latest round of natural disasters.

Governor Beebe previously declared 59 Arkansas counties disaster areas following storms and floods in the late winter and early spring. While federal assistance continues for those disasters, most of those state declarations have expired. The seven counties declared tonight begin a new set of declarations. The governor will begin touring damaged areas Saturday afternoon.

Update (5:00 p.m.): Add Chicot, Crittenden, Lonoke and Mississippi to that list as well, per the governor's office this afternoon.