Arkansas Dedicates New Emergency Center

Arkansas’ new emergency operations center was dedicated last week and the building is expected to be completed in May.

Arkansas Department of Emergency Management Director David Maxwell said the $13.5 million building will function as the command center for emergency responses during statewide disasters.

The nearly 40,000 square-foot center at Camp Robinson, headquarters of the Arkansas National Guard, will replace the emergency department’s existing facility in Conway. The new center will have space for as many as 15 other agencies during emergencies.

The building also will house 30 work stations and have beds, showers, and a full kitchen that can support 10 people in a crisis.

During the dedication, Gov. Mike Huckabee said the building will be a state of the art emergency operations center capable of handling tornadoes, floods, earthquakes and even a terrorist threat.