On April 2, 2025, the National Weather Service recorded a staggering 284 tornado warnings, the third-highest in a single day across the U.S. Arkansas has a history of devastating tornadoes, including an EF4 near Cushman in 2025 with the longest track since February 2024, and a historic EF-4 in 2008 that tore a 123-mile path through north-central Arkansas, causing significant loss of life and destruction. Even in 2024, our state experienced 52 tornadoes and 5 related deaths.

Here in Humnoke, many homes are not built to withstand tornado-force winds, leaving residents vulnerable to dangerous debris. Alarmingly, our closest designated shelter is nearly 30 miles away – a potentially impossible distance to travel during severe weather.

We, the undersigned residents of Humnoke and concerned citizens, urgently call upon our city officials to prioritize the safety of our community by developing and implementing a comprehensive tornado evacuation plan and establishing accessible safe shelters within our area.

Funding opportunities, such as the Safeguarding Tomorrow RLF grants offered by FEMA, are available to help achieve these critical goals. These grants offer flexible funding and can even be used as matching funds for other hazard mitigation assistance. FEMA will not require complex benefit-cost analyses, making these funds more accessible to our community.

We demand that our city officials take immediate action to explore these funding options and make a decisive choice towards the future safety and well-being of Humnoke. The time to act is now – before another devastating tornado strikes.