Arkansas News Bureau

LITTLE ROCK — Gov. Mike Beebe today declared 20 Arkansas counties disaster areas due to damage caused by heavy rains and flooding this month.

The declaration covers Ashley, Boone, Bradley, Calhoun, Carroll, Chicot, Clark, Cleveland, Columbia, Dallas, Desha, Drew, Lafayette, Lincoln, Lonoke, Madison, Miller, Nevada, Prairie and Union counties.

So far this month, the city of El Dorado has had 12.17 inches of rain. For the year, the city has had 55.82 inches of rain, 13 inches above normal.

Little Rock, which has had 7.72 inches of rain in October, is 20.61 inches above normal for the year.

The Individual Assistance Program also was been activated for residents in Columbia, Lafayette and Nevada counties, and the governor authorized $100,000 from his Disaster Fund to assist residents in those counties.

Of the 20 counties declared disaster areas, 17 are eligible for assistance through the Public Assistance Program. The other three counties, Ashley, Desha and Lonoke, have been declared solely for agricultural damage. An agricultural declaration will assist in obtaining possible federal assistance for Arkansas farmers.

Beebe submitted a letter to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack asking for a Secretarial Disaster Designation for Arkansas. The Farm Service Agency is conducting crop damage assessments to assist in the request.

If approved, the Secretarial Designation would free up emergency low-interest loans to help Arkansas farmers who have suffered significant crop losses.