Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders declared a state of emergency Wednesday in anticipation of severe winter weather expected to strike the state on or about January 23, 2026.
The executive order directs $250,000 from the Governor’s Disaster Response and Recovery Fund to be used for disaster response and recovery efforts. The funds will be available at the discretion of the Director of the Arkansas Division of Emergency Management to cover program and administrative costs.
The declaration also temporarily exempts commercial vehicles transporting emergency supplies and equipment from certain federal regulations through February 23. Emergency response vehicles, including utility trucks and bucket trucks responding to storm damage, are authorized to bypass Arkansas Department of Transportation weigh station facilities.
The order specifically addresses concerns about fuel distribution, citing “extreme low temperatures and high fuel demand resulting in difficulty in distribution of necessary heating fuel, including propane, natural gas, and heating oil.”
Commercial carriers delivering essential supplies such as electricity, fuel, food, and medical equipment will receive temporary regulatory relief under the emergency declaration, which can last up to 30 days from the initial declaration date.
The authorization does not relieve size and weight restrictions for commercial vehicles and does not apply to vehicles requiring special permits to operate on Arkansas roadways.