The Work Unseen: Inside Arkansas Emergency Management & Disaster Readiness Initiatives
Most Arkansans think about emergency management when a tornado touches down, floodwaters rise, or severe weather fills our social media feeds. What many do not see is the work happening long before a disaster ever makes headlines.
For the Arkansas Division of Emergency Management (ADEM), disaster response is built through proactive planning measures and coordinated efforts with local responders. The state agency works with all 75 Arkansas counties, training first responders and coordinating statewide emergency communications to help communities prepare for and recover from situations ranging from floods to hazardous materials incidents.
Understanding Arkansas’s Statewide Emergency Infrastructure
ADEM’s governor-appointed Director, A.J. Gary, has led Arkansas’s “all-hazards approach” to address emergencies and disasters impacting the state since 2016.
“[Whether] it’s a tornado, flood, or terrorist act, our response plan covers all types of emergencies regardless of the hazard,” Director Gary noted. “We plan, prepare, respond, recover, and mitigate close to the same way regardless of what the disaster is.”
ADEM maintains the Arkansas Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan and regularly conducts exercises that simulate disasters ranging from floods to earthquakes to practice response scenarios. They also support local counties through regional coordination, overseeing local emergency plans and mitigation projects to reduce future disaster risk.
Director Gary and ADEM at the site of tornado damage
“We’re one of the few states that has its own state disaster program,” Director Gary reminded. “We have disasters in Arkansas that don’t reach the level of a federal declaration, but are still devastating to communities, so we provide assistance to local governments and homeowners.”
Arkansas’s emergency management infrastructure also supports disaster response efforts in other states. Search-and-rescue teams and emergency management personnel have been deployed to multiple states, including Alaska, Florida, Louisiana, and New Mexico. Most recently, Arkansas sent two Arkansas Urban Search and Rescue teams to Texas to assist during a flooding disaster.
Disaster Resilience as a Proactive Measure
ADEM’s success is not only derived from its ability to respond to disasters, but from its ability to learn from them.
One example Director Gary pointed to was the historic 2019 flooding along the Arkansas River, which impacted roughly a third of Arkansas counties to become one of the state’s most significant flood response efforts.
During the event, Arkansas relied on the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC), a mutual aid agreement allowing states to share resources during emergencies. Through EMAC, Arkansas brought in automated sandbag-filling machines from neighboring states to help communities along the river prepare for rising waters.
“We asked ourselves, ‘ We flood quite a bit; why don’t we have sandbag machines in Arkansas?’”, Director Gary reflected. “Since then, we’ve acquired two more [sandbag machines] so we can deploy them quicker to communities. The flooding also helped us identify all of our critical infrastructure sites and better understand how to protect them.”
ADEM personnel supporting emergency response in Alaska
What began as a flooding disaster ultimately strengthened Arkansas’s readiness for a wide range of future emergencies. “[The flooding] had us thinking about other types of resources that we need to have on hand.” Director Gary noted. “Now, we store medical supplies, pallets of water, tarps for houses, and other items that we know we’ll need during emergencies in more accessible areas.”
ADEM’s proactive preparation after the flooding shows the value of identifying resource gaps and building systems that enable faster emergency response.
Local Volunteers as Partners in Preparedness
The same philosophy shapes how ADEM works with partners throughout Arkansas. Director Gary emphasized that organizations like Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD), faith-based groups, community nonprofits, and local citizens are often among the first to help communities begin recovery.
“The best volunteers we have in Arkansas are just neighbors helping neighbors”, Director Gary highlighted. “We joke that the wind doesn’t even stop blowing before you start hearing chainsaws and four-wheelers. That’s what’s great about our state and our communities.”
As Arkansas communities continue to face severe weather and other hazards, Director Gary sees resilience as a shared responsibility. When asked about potential opportunities to strengthen community resilience and emergency preparedness, he simply reminded, “It starts with the citizens.”
Director Gary with Governor Sanders at the site of tornado impact in Little Rock
While state and federal programs play important roles in recovery, preparedness begins with individuals and their communities. This can be as simple as maintaining insurance coverage, staying weather-aware, and keeping emergency supplies on hand before disaster strikes.
Whether coordinating with all 75 counties, supporting neighboring states, or helping local communities plan for disaster recovery, ADEM’s work is rooted in the belief that resilience is built long before disaster strikes. As “our partner in preparedness”, ADEM helps ensure Arkansas is prepared for whatever comes next.
Learn more about ADEM and their resources here!
This article is part of the Engage Arkansas 2026 Civic Challenge. The Civic Challenge focuses on one vital impact area to showcase impactful stories statewide. In September, Engage Arkansas highlighted the importance of Disaster Resilience, Preparedness, & Response.
Larissa Agbor-Nkongho, 2026