Recovery Efforts in Flood-Ravaged Southeast MO

JEFFERSON CITY -- Senator Jason Crowell, R-Cape Girardeau, today expressed the need to work together on all levels to address the needs of those affected by severe flooding in Southeast Missouri. Mississippi County, along with Butler and New Madrid counties, recently received a major disaster declaration.

Under the disaster declaration, individuals can request federal assistance to cover uninsured losses, including expenses involved in temporary housing, home repair, and replacement of household items. Assistance from National Guard members and the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) also continues to be available in these areas. Residents and business owners who sustained losses in the designated counties can begin applying for assistance on May 11 by registering online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or 1-800-462-7585 (TTY) for the hearing and speech impaired. The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week until further notice.

The governor also recently utilized $25 million in state funding to help counties and communities with the costs of responding to the flooding. The funding will help local governments with the cost of rebuilding efforts, as well as helping to pay for the deployment of nearly 800 members of the Missouri National Guard.

Residents looking for additional information on claims regarding flood damage can visit insurance.mo.gov/consumer/weather/floodresources.htm. This Department of Insurance site provides more information on how flood damage is covered and how residents can get help.

"Flood waters are beginning to recede, and communities throughout Southeast Missouri are now focused on rebuilding their homes and lives," said Sen. Crowell. "The immediate danger may be over, but the work is nowhere near finished. I will continue to work with local, state, and federal officials to make sure assistance is available to the families in need right now."

The state also recently took steps to get federal assistance relating to farmland affected by excessive rain and flooding. The governor recently requested that U.S. Department of Agriculture's Farm Service Agency conduct damage assessment reports as the first step in the process of declaring those counties as primary disaster areas. Primary disaster areas are counties that lose at least 30 percent of the estimated yield of a single crop or when individual farmers suffer production losses of more than 30 percent. Bollinger, Cape Girardeau, Madison, Mississippi, Perry and Scott counties were among the 56 counties that will be included in the assessments.

"We are working to ensure that those who are affected by flooding have resources readily available to them," said Sen. Crowell. "From the farmers concerned about their livelihood to the families without a home, we will band together as a community, state, and country to provide help and relief."