Local, state, and federal emergency officials – joined by several hundred Missouri National Guard members – are hard at work along the Mississippi River in northeast Missouri, trying to help people in flood-stricken areas. But the operation’s nerve center is in Jefferson City.
State Emergency Management Agency Director Ron Reynolds says that while the vast majority of the people helping out are located on the ground at or near the flood areas, there are dozens of people working the disaster from SEMA headquarters in Jefferson City. The headquarters are fully staffed with about 50 to 60 people between 7 am and 11 pm, with a duty officer covering the phones overnight.
Reynolds says with the crest that is being projected it would appear as though the SEMA emergency operations center will be up and running for about another week.