President approves disaster declaration for area counties
Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe said Tuesday that President Donald Trump has approved disaster declarations to assist Southwest Missouri residents affected by severe storms April 29 as well as St. Louis residents after that city was struck by a tornado May 16.
Public assistance was granted to help repair damaged roads, bridges and other public infrastructure as well as reimbursement of emergency response costs and debris removal after the storms that affected Barry, Newton, McDonald, Lawrence and Greene counties. A cluster of severe thunderstorms produced heavy rain, high winds and eight tornados throughout those counties as well as Washington County on April 29.
'This season's weather pattern has brought one destructive severe storm after another to Missouri, and the April 29 storms led to widespread damage in six counties — damage that is simply beyond their capabilities and those of the state to sustain without federal assistance,' Kehoe said in a May 19 written release in which he announced he was seeking federal disaster aid for people affected by the April 29 storms. 'Missourians are rallying to rebuild and support one another and will continue to do so as we now respond to the latest deadly and highly destructive storms that swept across the state on Friday, May 16.'
Kehoe said documented response costs to cities and counties in the April 29 storms exceeded $16.5 million.
As of Tuesday, the federal government had approved disaster aid for Missouri residents affected by four severe storms in March, April and May. FEMA also is participating in damage assessment in counties hit by a fifth series of storms from May 23-26.
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