Ice storm damage to public bodies set at $107 million

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- An ice storm that blasted across Missouri this month caused an estimated $107 million in damage to counties, cities and other public agencies in its path, the State Emergency Management Agency said Monday.

The figure comes from preliminary damage assessments from public bodies like local governments, fire departments and school districts in 38 counties and the city of St. Louis.

Ice and sleet tore down trees and power lines in a 50-mile swath along the Interstate 44 corridor from Southwest Missouri to St. Louis Jan. 12 through 14, causing widespread power outages.

SEMA deputy director Duane Nichols said the damage included such things as emergency rescue operations, clearing debris off roads and providing water, food and shelter to residents.

The figure does not include damage to private property and individuals, said Nichols, who had earlier put the estimated total at $103 million. SEMA issued a news release later Monday showing the total at $107 million.

A federal disaster declaration made public entities eligible for federal dollars for 75 percent of their costs from the storm. The federal disaster declaration paves the way for reimbursement of government costs but not the costs of individuals.

The agency said five teams of damage assessors will begin visiting the stricken areas today to make a separate tally of the costs to individuals.

Nichols said if uninsured losses to homeowners for their primary residences are high enough, the state of Missouri could ask FEMA for an emergency declaration that would let the federal government pay for some of those costs.

Nichols said there is no fixed dollar figure that private damage would have to exceed for a FEMA declaration. Instead, total uninsured costs to individuals would have to meet a definition of "substantial or significant."