By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
Missouri has asked President Donald Trump to issue a second major disaster declaration as the state recovers from a second round of flooding as well as severe storms, including tornadoes.
The formal request was made today by Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe, acting on behalf of Gov. Mike Parson, who is out of the country.
According to the governor’s office, state and local officials examined 1,650 primary homes, of which 953 had been destroyed or sustained major damage. The assessments also showed that 125 of 251 businesses examined had been destroyed or sustained major damage from storms since April 29th.
The governor’s office is requesting individual assistance for 41 Missouri counties which would allow residents to seek federal assistance with temporary housing, housing repairs, replacement of damaged belongings, vehicles, and other qualifying expenses as a result of the flooding and storms. Those counties are Adair, Andrew, Atchison, Barton, Boone, Buchanan, Callaway, Carroll, Chariton, Christian, Clark, Cole, Cooper, Dallas, Douglas, Gasconade, Greene, Grundy, Harrison, Hickory, Holt, Howard, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Laclede, Lafayette, Lewis, Lincoln, Livingston, Macon, Miller, Osage, Pike, Platte, Polk, Pulaski, Saline, St. Charles, St. Louis, and Ste. Genevieve.
Seven teams began conducting joint damage assessments today for federal public assistance, which would allow local governments and nonprofit agencies to offset some of the cost of disaster response as well as help repair damaged roads, bridges, and other infrastructure.
The governor’s office says the state expects to request public assistance once joint Preliminary Damage Assessments are completed in 64 counties. Those counties are Adair, Andrew, Atchison, Barry, Barton, Bates, Bollinger, Buchanan, Caldwell, Camden, Carroll, Cedar, Chariton, Clark, Cole, Dade, Dallas, Daviess, Douglas, Dunklin, Gentry, Grundy, Harrison, Henry, Hickory, Holt, Jasper, Knox, Laclede, Lafayette, Lewis, Linn, Livingston, Macon, Maries, Marion, Mercer, Miller, Mississippi, Monroe, New Madrid, Nodaway, Ozark, Pemiscot, Perry, Pike, Pulaski, Putnam, Ralls, Ray, St. Clair, Ste. Genevieve, Saline, Schuyler, Scotland, Shannon, Shelby, Stoddard, Sullivan, Taney, Texas, Vernon, Webster, and Wright.
Additional joint damage assessments for public assistance may be conducted in more Missouri counties as additional information is gathered locally when floodwaters recede.
To assist families impacted by flooding and severe storms, several Multi-Agency Resource Centers are being organized across the state.
Three MARCs will take place this week, in Independence, Brunswick, and Boonville:
Tuesday, June 25
Silverstein Eye Centers Arena
19100 E. Valley Pkwy | Independence, MO 64055
11 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Wednesday, June 26
Brunswick R-2 High School
1008 County Road | Brunswick, MO 65236
11 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Friday, June 28
Open Bible Praise Center
16991 Hwy 87 | Boonville, MO 65233
11 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Individuals with unmet needs should continue to contact United Way 211. Call 2-1-1 for assistance or visit http://211helps.org. Find more information as it becomes available about disaster resources, including additional MARC locations at http://recovery.mo.gov.
President Trump issued a disaster declaration May 20th for local governments and nonprofit agencies in Andrew, Atchison, Buchanan, Carroll, Chariton, Holt, Mississippi, New Madrid, Pemiscot, Perry, Platte, Ray, and Ste. Genevieve Counties to help in recovery from the initial round of flooding, which began March 11th.
The declaration made federal assistance available for the repair of damaged roads, bridges, and other public infrastructure, along with emergency response costs associated with the storms and flooding; an estimated $25 million in damage.
Gov. Parson declared a state of emergency in Missouri May 21st as a round of severe weather, including a tornado that struck the state’s Capital City.