Strong storms and tornadoes hit numerous parts of middle America Friday including areas in Arkansas around Little Rock and Wynne, causing widespread damage. 

Many have been impacted by the storms directly or indirectly including a large percentage of our students, faculty and staff who have friends and family in the tornado-ravaged areas. Recovery and relief efforts are underway. If you’d like to help, please see the following resources for more information.  

• In partnership with the United Way, Razorback Athletics has initiated an online donation page through the Razorbacks App. You can make any size donation directly in the app or by texting UNITED4AR to 41444. The Razorbacks App is available in Apple App Stores and Google Play Stores.
   
• The City of Little Rock is accepting donations through the Little Rock Cares Emergency Relief Fund.
   
• The American Red Cross has created an online donation that will help those affected in the South and the Midwest parts of the country. 
   
• The U of A Volunteer Action Center is expecting to coordinate with Engage Arkansas on potential volunteer opportunities moving forward.

In the impacted areas, many businesses, churches and other groups are collecting highly sought items over the next few days including diapers, baby wipes, hygiene products, blankets, clothes and bottled water. 

A list of needed items and drop-off locations in the impacted areas can be found on the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette’s website. 

The City of Little Rock and the Little Rock School District are also calling on volunteers to help with clean-up efforts once damage around the city has been assessed. Please be aware of forecasted storms this week that may affect clean-up efforts that are already underway.

More information will be available in the coming days as the recovery continues. Visit the American Red Cross of Arkansas online for options regarding donations and volunteering. 

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $2.2 billion to Arkansas’ economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the few U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research News.