(The Center Square) – Federal Emergency Management Agency will begin assessing tornado damage in parts of Arkansas on Wednesday, but it likely will be weeks, if not months, until it is clear whether the state will get federal disaster relief.

The overall cost of damage remained unclear Tuesday, according to Gov. Asa Hutchinson. Two FEMA crews will collect that information to determine whether Arkansas is eligible for financial help from the federal government for storm damages. Hutchinson said uninsured losses will need to be somewhere between $4 million and $5 million in order for the state to receive federal assistance.

“I believe we will be able to meet that threshold, but time will tell,” Hutchinson said.

The process usually takes months, but the governor said he spoke to President Joe Biden and is working to fast track that timeline.

If the state does not reach FEMA’s threshold for disaster relief assistance, Arkansas has a state disaster program that Department of Public Safety Director A.J. Gary said mirrors FEMA’s program for individual and public assistance. An additional $3 million was just added to the program during the state’s last legislative session.

Regardless of whether federal assistance comes through, the state will dip into funds from its own disaster program for relief efforts. However, the amount of state money used ultimately will be determined by whether federal relief also becomes available.

“We’re putting state money in up front,” Hutchinson said. “If we do get federal assistance, that [will be] the most support we can get for the individual homeowners that have had uninsured loss.”

Tornadoes on Friday night killed two people and damaged 307 structures in the state, Hutchinson said Tuesday. Of those 307 buildings, 61 were completely destroyed, while others suffered a varying degree of damage.

In addition to the widespread structural damage, some cotton gins and a rice company saw losses in the storms, according to the governor’s office.

More than 12,000 customers were without power at one point. That number was down to around 1,200 on Tuesday afternoon. Hutchinson said crews were making “enormous progress” to continue restoring power to residents.

“I want to express my continued concern,” Hutchinson said. “If there’s anything that is needed, we’re there to respond to that. We have shelters in place, we have our voluntary organizations that are working with the needs of people, but it is certainly a devastated area in terms of property loss as well as two losses of life.”

Friday night's tornado outbreak hit western Kentucky the hardest. At least 74 people were killed in Kentucky, and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said at least 100 residents remain missing.