The Broad Ax (circulation 1895-1931), published in Chicago, Illinois, from 1899-1931 after relocating from Salt Lake City, Utah, published an unauthored piece called "Out of the Flood" on May 14, 1927. This article directly references Little Rock in the fourth paragraph, tying the environmental effects of the Great Mississippi River Flood--and the resulting Arkansas River flooding in the state capital--to the racial tension and resulting riot. However, as the article states, "Even before the flood subsided, a mob--not out of the flood--resurrected itself near Little Rock, Ark., and made the world know that the flood had not washed away the spirit of cowardice" (page 3), the environmental crisis did not cause, but only contributed, to the racial tension and resulting hate crime.
Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn84024055/1927-05-14/ed-1/?sp=3&st=image