Cape Girardeau and Bollinger counties request assistance from SEMA

The State Emergency Management Agency has been activated to aid Southern Missouri in its response to the ice storm that's left a chunk of the region without power, according to a news release from Gov. Matt Blunt.

Both Cape Girardeau and Bollinger counties took part in a conference call to SEMA on Tuesday morning, said Susie Stonner, spokeswoman for SEMA.

Both counties requested assistance with their roadways, particularly with recovering from the heavy tree damage, Stonner said.

The Missouri National Guard and various state agencies reported to the SEMA Center early Tuesday to prepare responses to resource requests from local governments.

Secondary roads in both Cape Girardeau and Bollinger counties are nearly impossible to navigate, and felled tree limbs and power lines have obstructed many of the main roads and highways as well, Stonner said. Parts of Bollinger County are without cell phone service, and nearly half the county is without power, she said.

SEMA will continue to process any resource requests from counties hit by the storm.

Several counties toward the southwestern part of the state have requested extra generators to make up for power loss, but as of 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, none of the Southeast Missouri agencies had requested generator assistance.

One storm-related traffic death was reported Monday, and 13 injury-accidents were reported as a result of the storm, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

The Missouri Department of Transportation has been working around the clock and crews will continue to do so, trying to open up blocked roadways, said superintendent Keith Gentry of the Southeast District.

Gentry estimated that up to 120 trucks were plowing and cindering the roadways in Southeast Missouri.

"We'll do whatever we can throughout the night," Gentry said.

Gentry said that right now, the department's main objective is just to keep the roads open as much as possible and they'll worry about cleanup after the ice is gone.

Blunt authorized the National Guard to respond if necessary, but SEMA has not received any formal requests for Guard assistance as of publication time.

"We have to have a very specific request," she said.

bdicosmo@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 245