A recently created Missouri House caucus will examine how the state should prepare for natural disasters if the Federal Emergency Management Agency gets eliminated or drastically downsized.
State Rep. Collin Wellenkamp, R-St. Charles, chairs the Future Caucus. He told Missourinet that it’s something the state should consider.
“That is definitely on top of mind right now in the wake of the tornado that hit St. Louis and storms that hit other counties in southeast Missouri,” Wellenkamp told Missourinet. “Now, Missouri has onboarded about a billion dollars in damage just this spring alone from storms.”
Wellenkamp said a smaller, streamlined FEMA will likely mean that Missouri’s State Emergency Management Agency would need to be enlarged and given a bigger budget.
“What’s that going to look like going into the future for Missouri if FEMA is a much different entity than it is today,” he asked. “And if it works different, what does that mean for our state? What are we on the hook for more going forward, and how are we paying for disaster mitigation and response and recovery in the future?”
Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Sam Graves, R-Mo. 6th District, is sponsoring a bill that would restructure FEMA, giving state and local governments more say in disaster response.
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