FEMA wraps up Stoddard County assessments

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- FEMA representatives have completed initial assessments for individual assistance in Stoddard County, according to the county's emergency management/flood response director, Kent Polsgrove.

"The task now is for them to submit the information they've gathered, and then wait for word on our eligibility status," Polsgrove said Friday.

Five counties in Missouri have already been deemed disaster areas following a request by Gov. Jay Nixon to President Barack Obama last week in the wake of flooding and storms. Stoddard was not among the counties named, but all indications pointed to a designation coming for Stoddard County in the days ahead.

The declaration would make federal funding available to affected individuals. The hardest hit areas of Stoddard County are in the extreme west and east areas along Route T, Highway 51, and to the east in the Morehouse area where 273 homes were flooded. Only 150 of those have been deemed as able to be salvaged by teams of experts who moved into the area last week. Most of Morehouse lies within New Madrid County. Only a few homes on its west edge are in Stoddard County.

Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, property losses and other programs to help households recover. Additionally, the Small Business Administration (SBA) has been authorized to provide low-cost disaster loans to businesses and individuals to cover losses that are not fully compensated by insurance or other sources, and do not duplicate benefits of other agencies or organizations.

Pertinent address:

Bloomfield, MO