President Donald Trump has granted two more disaster requests for Missouri – for the April 29th tornadoes and storms that swept across southwestern and eastern Missouri, and for the May 16th tornadoes that struck St. Louis and southeastern portions of the state.
Missouri is getting around $71 million for the May 16th request, which is much less than the current $1 billion-plus storm damage estimates. Both public and individual assistance are being made available to May 16th storm-damaged residents in St. Louis city, and in St. Louis and Scott counties, but not in Cape Girardeau, Iron, New Madrid, Stoddard and Wayne counties. A press release from Gov. Mike Kehoe’s office did not provide details as to why those counties were left out of the federal disaster area.
The April 29th disaster declaration provides public assistance in Barry, Greene, Lawrence, McDonald, Newton, and Washington counties. It doe not provide individual assistance.
Still, Republican members of Missouri’s congressional delegation praised President Trump for granting the disaster declaration.
“Great news—President Trump approved $71 million in disaster aid to help eastern Missouri communities hit by last month’s devastating storms start to get back on their feet,” Sen. Eric Schmitt said on X. “Thank you President Trump for your leadership and for working closely with us to deliver relief!”
“Thank you President Trump for your swift action to provide federal support to the victims of the deadly tornado last month,” said U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner, R-Mo. 2nd Dist. “The St. Louis region was hit incredibly hard and this disaster assistance is going directly to ensure our community can rebuild stronger and better than before.”
Sen. Josh Hawley posted on X, “Thank you @realDonaldTrump for again approving disaster relief for Missouri. Much, much needed.”
U.S. Rep. Wesley Bell, D, Mo. 1st Dist., also responded to Trump’s disaster request. He did not thank the president, but he did acknowledge the declaration will be a big help. His statement reads in part:
“Families in St. Louis are still picking up the pieces after the devastating May 16 storms. This major disaster declaration unlocks critical federal aid to help them rebuild — and having been out there with our neighbors, I can tell you firsthand it’s desperately needed. I’m grateful to the first responders, local leaders, and emergency personnel who moved quickly to assess the damage and push for this support. And I appreciate the Governor’s role in making the case for our state. St. Louis is a strong, resilient community. This support will help us come back even stronger.”
This marks the fourth federal disaster declaration approved for Missouri in 2025.
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