Cape, Scott counties received $1.7M in flood relief

Of the $91 million in federal disaster aid delivered to Missouri for flood relief from the record-breaking flood in December and January, Cape Girardeau and Scott counties received about $1.7 million.

The state received $12.6 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency individual assistance grants for flooding in December and January to about 2,400 households.

Thirty-eight households received $232,759 in Cape Girardeau County, a bit more than $6,000 per household. FEMA external affairs representative John Mills said the amount received in each case can vary.

Eighteen households in Scott County received $90,649, or about $5,000 per home.

“For a lot of people, that’s significant damage to their homes,” Mills said. “It’s disaster-related losses not covered by insurance.”

National Flood Insurance paid $264,673 in claims in Cape Girardeau County and $140,589 in claims in Scott County. The National Flood Insurance Program provides government flood insurance to property owners in NFIP communities, which must meet FEMA guidelines. Cape Girardeau, Cape Girardeau County and Scott County all are NFIB communities. NFIB is a part of FEMA.

In Missouri, $62.1 million was paid to homeowners, renters and businesses.

“It’s always a good idea to respect the power of the Mississippi River,” Mills said.

In Cape Girardeau, Scott, Perry and Bollinger counties, the U.S. Small Business administration gave more than $500,000 in loans, about $138,000 in home loans in Cape Girardeau and Scott counties and about $350,000 in business loans to Cape Girardeau and Scott counties.

Across the state, $16.7 million in low-interest disaster loans went to 392 homeowners.

Mills offered Jefferson County, Missouri, as a comparison.

Four hundred seventy-nine households there received $4.2 million in FEMA individual-assistance disaster grants, national flood insurance paid out $7.8 million in claims paid, and the Small Business Administration paid out $4.5 million in loans — $3.4 million in home loans and $1.1 million in business loans.

bkleine@semissourian.com

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