Stoddard County commission discusses compiling infrastructure damage list

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- Stoddard County commissioners discussed compiling a list of damages to roads, bridges and other infrastructures due to recent flooding to present to the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the State Emergency Management Agency at their Tuesday meeting. Authorities from those agencies were expected to visit the county later this week.

The first phase of damage assessment by the two disaster agencies dealt with damage to individual property. The second phase will address concerns by the county, townships and road districts. Stoddard County has yet to be declared a disaster area by FEMA, and without such a designation, obtaining funding for repairs to roads and bridges will be difficult, commissioners said.

Presiding Commissioner Greg Mathis said the commission needed to identify not only damage to roads and bridges, but also to review emergency protective measures before meeting with FEMA and SEMA.

"We need estimates of damages from the road districts," commissioner Frank Sifford said.

A memo from Mark Winkler with SEMA said the meetings with county townships and road districts would began Tuesday. Winkler asked that all county and local jurisdictions "have all documentation in order at that time with restoration cost estimates."

Cities and communities hardest hit in the county were Advance and Moccasin Flats. Both communities suffered damage to private property, including houses. Residents of Moccasin Flats had to be evacuated after water topped the spillway at Wappapello Lake. A break in the Jenkins Basin Levee threatened Bell City residents, but water never actually got into homes there, according to Sifford. Many rural homes did suffer damage in that area, though, he said. A large portion of Advance along Route C was flooded, which resulted in disruptions to water and sewer service there.

Sifford said he had met with county emergency management/flood-control director Kent Polsgove about documenting costs related to the flooding. He said these costs included setting up shelters, paying mileage to emergency volunteers and fire departments and to cities. He said the only city to have submitted their expenses was Bernie. Sifford said none the other cities in the county had submitted their reports.

Pertinent address:

Bloomfield, MO

Advance, MO

Moccasin Flats, MO