County Making Progress With FEMA

Crawford County Presiding Commissioner Steve Black reported June 17 that he has made contact with an administrator from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

The previous week, Black said he made several unsuccessful attempts to reach anyone who could help the county with its flood claims.

Black was hoping to speak to the administrator later that day.

“Things are moving,” he said.

During the June 10 meeting, Black reported that Crawford County has an estimated $600,000 in damages to its buildings.

The county is one of several that is seeking help from both FEMA and the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) as a result of massive storms this spring.

Gov. Mike Kehoe on June 21 requested two more federal disaster declarations that would provide support to eight counties in southwest Missouri.

The disaster declarations are:

A U.S. Small Business (SBA) Disaster Declaration to provide low interest SBA Disasters Loans for Greene, Lawrence, and Newton counties in response to severe storms, tornadoes, heavy rains, hail, and flooding that occurred on April 29; and

A federal Major Disaster Declaration to provide federal assistance to Dade, Douglas, Ozark, Vernon, and Webster counties in response to the severe storms, straight-line winds, hail, heavy rains, and flooding that occurred throughout Memorial Day weekend, May 23-26.