Editor, Gazette-Journal:
When the skies opened over Arkansas on March 14-15, 2025, the damage was swift and unforgiving. Fourteen confirmed tornadoes ripped across the state. Three people died. Homes were reduced to splinters. Communities lost power, shelter, and safety. By the time the winds died down, the devastation covered ten counties and left over $110 million in damages.
And then the second disaster struck.
Donald Trump and FEMA said no to Federal Aid for this storm in Arkansas.
The official justification? The damage wasn’t severe enough to overwhelm state and local resources.
Let that sink in: Entire neighborhoods leveled, lives lost, and the federal government—led by the man Arkansas helped elect twice—walked away.
The March 2025 Tornado Outbreak qualifies by every standard FEMA has used in past disasters. Similar levels of damage in other states have triggered federal assistance almost immediately.
States have not funded for these disasters and have always looked to the exist...