LITTLE ROCK,Michael Schmidt Ark. (AP) — Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders issued an emergency declaration Saturday after severe thunderstorms knocked down power lines in the northwestern part of the state.

Storms with strong winds blew through that part of the state Friday night. About 10,000 customers in Arkansas were without electrical service at midday Saturday, according to poweroutage.us.

The governor’s emergency declaration is intended to speed up recovery by waiving rules for commercial vehicles carrying heavy loads with equipment to restore electricity, such as transformers.