This week, U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-3) sent a letter, with the support of the entire Missouri delegation, to President Obama urging that he approve Governor Jay Nixon’s request for a major disaster declaration after the state suffered severe storms, tornadoes, high winds, and flooding in May and June of this year.

“We, as Members of the Missouri Congressional Delegation, respectfully urge you to issue a major disaster declaration for our state, providing Missouri with the resources needed to recover from these damaging storms and mitigate future losses,” Luetkemeyer wrote in the July 9, 2013 letter to the president.

On June 6, 2013, Luetkemeyer sent a letter to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator W. Craig Fugate regarding Governor Nixon’s request for Joint Individual Assistance (IA) Preliminary Damage Assessments (PDAs) for several counties in the state. The assessments determined that the storms cost $15.2 million in public response and infrastructure damage, as well as damages to nearly 1,400 homes and 500 businesses as a result of the storms. 

The counties in the 3^rd District for which Governor Nixon requested Individual Assistance are: Callaway, Lincoln, Montgomery, Osage, and St. Charles. The counties in the 3^rd District for which Public Assistance has been requested are: Callaway, Lincoln, Maries, Miller, Montgomery, Osage, and St. Charles. Additionally, Governor Nixon requested the entire state receive hazard mitigation assistance.