120 North 13th Street
Fort Smith, AR, 72901

For Immediate Release….

Sebastian County and Crawford County, Arkansas…..United Way Launches 2-1-1 Service Center to Aid local Citizens

(Fort Smith, AR- May 4, 2021) – United Way of Fort Smith Area is urging local residents to dial 2-1-1 to report trees and limbs that have fallen on houses or vehicles and other storm debris in Crawford County and Sebastian County. 211 is assisting local emergency management to collect information on damage reports of local residencies. After the collection of the reports, we will be able to prioritize and potentially provide assistance in the clean-up process. United Way of Fort Smith Area is working in collaboration with Crawford and Sebastian County Emergency Management and the United Way of Northwest Arkansas.

Salvation Army Disaster Services will be serving meals today at Cedars Golf Course in Van Buren from 11-12pm and 5-6pm and in Alma at the Senior Center from 11-12pm and 5-6pm. Meals will be served daily until all needs are met.

“2-1-1 is a very valuable resource to have in Arkansas and the River Valley. We are working to provide local EMS and volunteers with needed information to better deploy volunteers to help our citizens with cleanup and recovery. Citizens that have damage and need help with cleanup just need to simply dial “211” and report the damage,” stated Eddie Lee Herndon, President and CEO of the United Way of Fort Smith Area. He went on to say, “It’s wonderful to have the partnership with our sister United Way, United Way of Northwest Arkansas, to provide these services to the River Valley and the entire state of Arkansas.”

211 is a free, confidential information and referral service that connects people to essential health and human services 24 hours a day, seven days a week online and over the phone.