Alabama and Missouri, two states affected by the wave of severe weather during late December 2015, have requested federal assistance through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to aid recovery and repair damaged infrastructure.
Missouri
On 15 January 2016, Governor Jay Nixon requested the federal government declare a major disaster for Missouri as a result of the two strong storm systems in late December 2015 that brought severe weather and historic flooding to much of the state.
In his statement Governor Nixon said that the storms and flooding led to 15 confirmed deaths and affected 41 counties. He has requested Individual Assistance so eligible residents can seek federal assistance, such as help with temporary housing and repairs, and to replace household items damaged or lost as a result of flooding.
In addition, the Governor is seeking assistance from the Small Business Administration (SBA) to assist impacted businesses in the 41 counties.
Those affected by the flooding are encouraged to document losses, including photographing damage and retaining receipts.
“Even as we continue to tally the costs of emergency response and of repairing roads, bridges and other public infrastructure, I’m asking for federal assistance from FEMA and the SBA to help Missourians with the uninsured losses to their homes and businesses,”Governor Nixon said. “This was historic flooding with devastating impacts on many Missourians, and it will be a long recovery process. A major disaster declaration will help in that effort.”
Missouri Counties Affected
The 41 Missouri counties are Barry, Barton, Callaway, Camden, Cape Girardeau, Cole, Crawford, Dade, Douglas, Franklin, Gasconade, Greene, Hickory, Howell, Jasper, Jefferson, Laclede, Lawrence, Lincoln, Maries, McDonald, Miller, Morgan, Newton, Oregon, Osage, Ozark, Phelps, Pike, Polk, Pulaski, Scott, St. Charles, St. Francois, St. Louis, Ste. Genevieve, Stone, Taney, Texas, Webster and Wright.
Alabama
On 14 January, 2016, Alabama Governor Robert Bentley requested public assistance for the 39 counties impacted by the December floods and storms.
“The damage caused by the tornadoes and flooding significantly impacted Alabama communities ,” Governor Robert Bentley said. “ We are working to rebuild from historic flooding , and the FEMA Public Assistance will be a tremendous help to communities. I appreciate the quick work by damage assessment teams in order for Alabama to make the request to FEMA. Together with our federal partners, we will recover from the damage.”
“ I am very thankful for the joint effort of local governments and FEMA to assist Alabama EMA in conducting damage assessments statewide over the last week. Now that we have compiled the data and Governor Bentley has made the request, we are very hopeful for a quick response. ” said Alabama EMA Director Art Faulkner. Approval of this request is very important to repair the major damage to our public infrastructure throughout the state.
Alabama Counties Affected
The approval of this request will authorize the FEMA Public Assistance Grant Program to aid jurisdictions in Autauga, Barbour, Blount, Bullock, Butler, Chambers, Cherokee, Clay, Cleburne, Coffee, Colbert, Conecuh, Covington, Crenshaw, Cullman, Dale, DeKalb, Elmore, Escambia, Fayette, Franklin, Geneva, Henry, Houston, Jackson, Lamar, Lawrence, Lee, Lowndes, Macon, Marion, Marshall, Monroe, Pike, Perry, Russell, St Clair, Walker, and Winston Counties as they recover from the effects of severe weather that occurred during between 24 and 31 December 2015.
Small Business Administration Loans
Governor Bentley also announced that loans administered through the federal Small Business Administration are available to victims of the floods to repair damage to their property. The low-interest loans assistance has been approved for more than 20 counties based on damage assessments after storms and floods. Under the scheme, renters and homeowners may borrow up to $40,000 to replace property or up to $200,000 to replace or repair their home.
