Governor Matt Blunt is asking President Bush to approve a Disaster Declaration for Individual Assistance as a result of the tornadoes and other severe weather that hit the southeastern part of the state last weekend. The request follows the gathering of information by five Damage Assessment teams from the federal, state, and local levels. Those teams identified more than 600 homes and 75 businesses that suffered storm related damages. The twelve counties for which the Governor is requesting assistance are: Butler, Crawford, Dunklin, Howell, Iron, Madison, New Madrid, Perry, Phelps, Reynolds, Ripley, and St. Francois. Approval of the Governor’s request would see Individual Assistance providing disaster grants or low-interest loans to families, individuals, and businesses to help recover uninsured personal property and business losses.