WASHINGTON 鈥 President Donald Trump on Friday approved a major disaster declaration for storms and tornadoes that hit the St. 香港三级片 area two months ago, assuaging concern that the White House might hold back on federal aid for the devastating tornado that hit St. 香港三级片 last week.
The approval came more than two months after the storms hit a swath of Eastern and Southern Missouri on March 14 and 15, including St. 香港三级片, Jefferson and Franklin counties.
Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe on April 2 requested a major disaster declaration for the storms, which killed 12 people across the state, including two in the St. 香港三级片 area, and cost at least $27 million in emergency response and damage to public infrastructure.
A major disaster declaration from those storms to individuals impacted by the storms, including grants and low-interest loans to pay for home repairs and business recovery.
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Trump鈥檚 approval of the March disaster request comes amid turmoil at the federal agency and growing concern from communities around the country about the level of federal support they can expect after disasters.
His administration has talked about shifting responsibility to states for disasters, and even about dismantling the agency. Trump鈥檚 initial pick to head the agency, Cameron Hamilton, earlier this month after he told Congress FEMA should not be eliminated.
The administration鈥檚 delays in approving federal disaster requests from Missouri and other states has fueled worries that federal help may not be forthcoming as St. 香港三级片 reels from the devastating tornado May 16 that killed five people and caused more than $1 billion in damage, according to city estimates.
St. 香港三级片 Mayor Cara Spencer on Thursday noted that FEMA teams were in St. 香港三级片 this week to assess damage from last week鈥檚 tornado, a process state and city officials will use to formally request a disaster declaration. But the mayor acknowledged she had 鈥渃oncerns鈥 about federal assistance, which she has said is essential to rebuild the city.
鈥淟ook, defunding the areas of federal government that we so badly need to make our communities function well is a huge, huge problem when it comes to this and a whole host of things that the city relies on the federal government for,鈥 Spencer said Thursday. 鈥淒o I have concerns? Yes. Do I have confidence that we are doing everything we can? Absolutely. Do I have confidence that our governor and our local electeds, our senators and our congressmen, are doing everything possible? Yes I do, and we are marching forward because that is the only thing we can do.鈥
A disaster declaration and FEMA assistance to individuals for home repairs is especially important in North St. 香港三级片, where more than a quarter of homeowners don鈥檛 have insurance to pay for damages. On some blocks, more than half of homeowners are uninsured.
Trump鈥檚 approval of the March disaster declaration was one of a flurry announced by FEMA Friday, coming of about pending at the White House and increasing pleas from lawmakers, including from Trump鈥檚 fellow Republicans, to authorize aid. Missouri鈥檚 Congressional delegation toured St. 香港三级片 following last week鈥檚 tornado and appealed to the White House to approve the state鈥檚 pending disaster requests so residents, businesses and local governments can access federal money for cleanup and repairs.
Sen. Josh Hawley directly questioned Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Tuesday about the Missouri disaster requests and said he spoke to the President on Wednesday about the need for federal aid for Missouri.
The state鈥檚 other senator, Eric Schmitt, also applauded the president鈥檚 action and said he remains in 鈥渃lose contact with FEMA鈥 about federal assistance for last week鈥檚 St. 香港三级片 tornado.
鈥淭his is just the beginning of helping communities across our state get back on their feet following devastating storms this season,鈥 Schmitt said in a statement Friday.
And at a news conference with the mayor Friday, Schmitt said he wasn鈥檛 worried about the city getting aid from the federal government, noting FEMA had already completed its initial damage assessments.
鈥淚 think the best evidence of that is what happened here,鈥 Schmitt said. 鈥淔EMA moved, by FEMA standards, incredibly quickly. They鈥檝e already done their individual property damage assessments. They鈥檙e already finished.鈥
Kehoe called Trump鈥檚 approval of the disaster requests 鈥渨elcome news鈥 and said the state鈥檚 emergency management agency would work closely with FEMA to tap 鈥渕illions of dollars in much needed recovery support for individuals, families and local jurisdictions.鈥 The governor said he was 鈥渃onfident鈥 the May 16 tornado would also receive a federal disaster declaration.
鈥淲e appreciate the work of our federal congressional delegation in advocating for these requests and future assistance for Missourians,鈥 Kehoe said Friday.
But U.S. Rep. Wesley Bell, a Democrat unlike Missouri鈥檚 governor and two senators, said there鈥檚 still a 鈥渓ong way to go鈥 before FEMA gets aid into the hands of people who need it. FEMA has lost a quarter of its full-time staff amid cuts driven by Trump advisor Elon Musk鈥檚 Department of Governmental Efficiency.
鈥淚鈥檓 not going to be happy until not only have these declarations been authorized, but this community is rebuilt,鈥 Bell said Friday. 鈥淪o we got a long way to go before we get unconcerned.鈥
Trump on Friday also approved a second disaster request from Kehoe for storms that occurred in 25 counties in Southeast and Southern Missouri March 30 through April 8 and cost at least $26 million in emergency response and public infrastructure damage. However, that federal action only allows for federal reimbursement to local governments for storm cleanup, not individuals.
Kehoe had requested assistance for homeowners and other individuals impacted by those storms, but FEMA spokeswoman Barb Sturner said the damage did not warrant individual assistance authorization. She said the state can submit additional information to document more damage and try and get FEMA to authorize individual assistance.
The disaster declaration for the March 14 storms makes those impacted in 18 counties, mostly in southern and Southeastern Missouri, eligible for assistance 鈥 fewer than the 25 counties Kehoe had requested. Impacted residents in St. 香港三级片, Jefferson and Franklin counties can apply for grants or loans for uninsured damages or losses and find more information at .
Austin Huguelet of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.
Mayor Cara Spencer addresses frequently asked questions by tornado victims in her daily tornado updates. Spencer said the condemnation notices residents are seeing are not intended to punish people for entering their homes, the notices are "purely informational." Video courtesy of the City of St. 香港三级片.
