Missouri – Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will work with state and local officials to do joint Preliminary Damage Assessments (PDAs) in response to the terrible storms and flooding that hit parts of southwest Missouri from May 23 to May 26. The evaluations will look at the damage to public infrastructure and the expenses of emergencies in five counties: Dade, Douglas, Ozark, Vernon, and Webster.
The severe weather system, which brought heavy rainfall, straight-line winds, large hail, and flash flooding, hit over the Memorial Day weekend and caused a lot of damage in the area. The devastation overwhelmed local resources, therefore a concerted effort was made to figure out the extent of the losses were and who may get federal disaster relief.
“The long Memorial Day weekend brought four consecutive days of damaging severe storms and flooding to southwest Missouri and led to the destruction of public infrastructure and emergency response costs that are well-beyond the capacity of Dade, Douglas, Ozark, Vernon, and Webster counties,” Governor Kehoe said.
“Missouri State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) personnel have been working with local officials as they have been preparing initial damage estimates and we believe the destruction requires joint reviews by FEMA, SEMA, and our local partners, in anticipation for a request for a federal disaster declaration.”
Three combined teams, made up of FEMA, the Missouri State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), and local emergency workers, will start their on-the-ground inspections on Tuesday, June 10. They want to check the alleged damage and see if the areas that were affected can get Public Assistance. This federal funding might help pay for things like emergency operations, cleaning up debris, and fixing roads and bridges that were destroyed.
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Governor Kehoe said that more counties could be added to the list of places that need to be checked if more damage reports come in. SEMA is still working with local governments and nonprofit groups to make sure that both public needs and individual recovery efforts are met in the meantime.
Residents who experienced damage are asked to report it promptly to their insurance carriers. If you have unmet needs, the state suggests calling United Way at 2-1-1 or the American Red Cross at 1-800-733-2767.
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Missouri’s main website for disaster recovery help is recovery.mo.gov. It has more information about updates and recovery resources, such as mental health support, housing aid, and cleanup information.
