The Federal Emergency Management Agency on Wednesday approved Gov. Jay Nixon's request to expand the federal major disaster declaration for Missouri to include assistance for response and recovery expenses for governments and nonprofits in 37 counties, including Jasper, Newton, McDonald, Barry and Lawrence.
Major rains and flooding between Dec. 23 and Jan. 9 caused an estimated $41 million in damage to infrastructure, destroyed or damaged nearly 1,000 homes, and led to 16 deaths across Missouri, the governor's office said.
"From the western to the eastern borders of the state, Missouri was hit by devastating flooding and severe weather that left a trail of destruction to roads, bridges, public structures and other infrastructure, along with significant response costs," Nixon said in a statement. "This expanded federal disaster declaration will provide vital assistance to communities as they rebuild infrastructure that is essential to residents and businesses as they move their communities forward."
Keith Stammer, emergency management director for Joplin and Jasper County, said all entities affected by the flooding "will be looking at what their expenses were and if they're eligible" for assistance under Wednesday's announcement. Organizations that expended materials, equipment or personnel on overtime hours during the floods could be eligible for reimbursement from FEMA, he said.
"It's a good deal for those that had quite a bit of expense," he said.
McDonald County and the towns of Noel, Pineville, Anderson and Lanagan all could be eligible for federal assistance, said Gregg Sweeten, the county's emergency management director. The expanded disaster declaration "gives us 75 percent back in reimbursements on the money we have to spend to put things back to the way they were prior to the flood," he said.
Charla Geller, emergency management director of Newton County, could not be reached for comment Wednesday afternoon.
Residential help
Gov. Jay Nixon had declared a state of emergency in Missouri on Dec. 27 amid heavy rains and flooding. A major disaster declaration was made Jan. 21 to assist residents affected by the flooding. Individuals who sustained damage or losses as a result of flooding between Dec. 23 and Jan. 9 may register for disaster aid at DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 800-621-3362 by March 21.
———
©2016 The Joplin Globe (Joplin, Mo.)
Visit The Joplin Globe (Joplin, Mo.) at www.joplinglobe.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
