Governor Beebe declared a State of Emergency Friday morning in response to the ice and snow already in Arkansas and expected to continue accumulating throughout the day. The declaration carries with it up to $20,000 from the Governor's Disaster Fund for the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management to supply additional support and resources if needed.

With road conditions expected to deteriorate as the day progresses, Beebe also initiated his Inclement Weather Policy, stating that only those State employees designated as essential personnel by their agencies are required to report to work Friday.

A separate declaration by Beebe will suspend some federal guidelines that regulate utility trucks. This will allow utility companies to work extra hours in responding to outages and storm damage.

Officials at the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management have been in contact with county emergency officials, preparing to take appropriate actions to counter the storm. The Arkansas National Guard also has personnel and supplies ready to go for emergency response.