A devastating outbreak of more than 50 tornados in the South and Midwest on March 31 has now resulted in 32 deaths, after a massive storm system moved through the states of Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, and Delaware.
The Governors of Indiana, Iowa, Illinois, and Arkansas announced emergency or disaster declarations in those states following the tornado outbreak. President Biden issued a federal disaster declaration for Cross County, Lonoke County, and Pulaski County in Arkansas, with FEMA assistance available to impacted households. FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell visited Arkansas the following week. Nearly 2,600 structures in Little Rock alone were impacted by a tornado, resulting in approximately 50 individuals being sent to the hospital.
The outbreak came just one week after a separate tornado outbreak in the Southeast, which killed 26 individuals and destroyed much of Rolling Fork, a town in western Mississippi. President Biden, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell, and HUD Secretary Marcia L. Fudge visited Rolling Fork on March 31.
NLIHC facilitates the Disaster Housing Recovery Coalition (DHRC), a group of over 850 local, state, and national organizations working to ensure that all disaster survivors receive the assistance they need to recover. The DHRC and its members will continue to track the impacts of this tornado outbreak and other disasters on households with low incomes and the availability and accessibility of disaster assistance.
Learn more about the DHRC at: https://bit.ly/2NOHusW