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Bellefontaine Neighbors “hammered” by seven inches of rain; Missouri heat advisory remains (AUDIO)

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The National Weather Service (NWS) in St. Louis says parts of north St. Louis County received more than six inches of rain and flooding early Monday morning. NWS hydrologist Mark Fuchs tells Missourinet far north county was “hammered” by rain.

“Folks in north County had upwards of over seven inches of rain, measured, in automated rain gauges up around Bellefontaine Neighbors and Glasgow Village,” Fuchs says.

The NWS issued numerous flash flood warnings across the St. Louis metropolitan area this morning.

“Just an incredible amount of water and quite a bit of flash flooding across north county,” says Fuchs.

Meantime, virtually all of Missouri remains under a heat advisory until 9 p.m. Monday. The heat index in Columbia and Jefferson City makes it feel like 107 degrees, and the heat index in southeast Missouri’s Poplar Bluff is about 110.

Fuchs tells Missourinet the heat has created a dangerous situation in which heat-related illnesses are possible.

“We’re looking at heat indices in parts of west-central Missouri, heat indices might exceed 110 degrees. And the same is true down in southeast Missouri,” Fuchs says.

You’re being urged to drink plenty of water and to avoid strenuous activity during the hottest part of the day.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with NWS hydrologist Mark Fuchs, which was recorded on August 12, 2019:

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Congressman Graves: Corps’ priorities for Missouri River are backwards (AUDIO)

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A congressman who represents flood-damaged northern Missouri is blasting the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, saying it’s “long past time” that flood control is the top priority for the Missouri River.

U.S. Rep. Sam Graves, R-Tarkio, tours the MFA Rail facility near northwest Missouri’s Hamilton on October 8, 2018 (file photo courtesy of Congressman Graves’ office)

U.S. Rep. Sam Graves, R-Tarkio, the ranking Republican on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, visited flood-impacted Brunswick on Friday. Brunswick, a Chariton County town of about 800, sustained severe flooding from the Grand River this summer.

Graves met with Brunswick officials to discuss flood recovery efforts. He tells Missourinet he’s losing his patience.

“This is so frustrating, it’s getting old, it’s getting tiresome, it’s affecting people’s lives, it’s affecting communities,” Graves says.

He says flooding has caused devastation across north Missouri, including Brunswick. Graves describes the Corps’ management priorities on the Missouri River as “backwards.”

“And it’s so frustrating, you just literally want to pull your hair out,” says Graves. “And we continue to pound on the Corps and push the Corps and we can’t seem to get anywhere with them.”

Graves agrees with Governor Mike Parson’s call for the Corps to manage the Missouri River differently.

Parson notes that he and fellow governors from Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska have met with the Corps, urging them to give states a seat at the table. Parson says states must have a significant say in Missouri River management.

Graves represents 36 counties across north Missouri. His sprawling district, which has more square miles than nine states, spans from the Missouri to the Mississippi rivers.

Graves’ district includes Brunswick, St. Joseph and Hannibal.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with U.S. Rep. Sam Graves, which was recorded on August 7, 2019:

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FEMA denies disaster aid to residents in 19 Missouri counties

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Photos courtesy of MoDOT

The State Emergency Management Agency is asking the federal government to reconsider its decision to deny disaster aid to residents in 19 Missouri counties. The state’s appeal involves a federal disaster declaration from severe flooding and storms this year.

The counties Missouri wants included in a federal disaster declaration are: Adair, Barton, Cape Girardeau, Christian, Clark, Cooper, Dallas, Douglas, Gasconade, Grundy, Harrison, Hickory, Howard, Laclede, Macon, Marion, Polk, Ste. Genevieve, and St. Louis counties.

In the appeal sent to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Missouri says about 35% of families in these counties are low income and need federal help.

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Disaster unemployment benefits available to victims in six more Missouri counties

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Missourians in six more counties can apply for disaster unemployment benefits if they lost their positions or their jobs were interrupted by flooding and severe storms this year. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has expanded a disaster declaration to 26 total counties with the new ones including Callaway, Jefferson, Lewis, McDonald, Newton and Saline counties.

Disaster unemployment benefits available to victims in six more Missouri counties

Through September 5, individuals in the newly-designated counties can apply at the Missouri Department of Labor’s Division of Employment Security. Workers can only receive benefits for as long as their unemployment continues as a result of the disaster, with a limit of up to 36 weeks.

August 9 is the application deadline for those affected in the original 20 counties of Andrew, Atchison, Boone, Buchannan, Carroll, Chariton, Cole, Greene, Holt, Jackson, Jasper, Lafayette, Lincoln, Livingston, Miller, Osage, Pike, Platte, Pulaski, and St. Charles Counties.

Claims can be filed by visiting uinteract.labor.mo.gov. For help with filing a claim, call one of the Regional Claims Center (see below) Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Regional Claims Centers:
Jefferson City……………………573-751-9040
Kansas City………………………816-889-3101
St. Louis …………………………314-340-4950
Springfield ………………………417-895-6851
Outside Local Calling Area ……..800-320-2519

Missourians impacted by the severe storms, tornadoes, and flooding in all the declared counties can register for additional assistance by calling the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) at (800) 621-3362, TTY (800) 462-7585, or register with FEMA online at DisasterAssistance.gov.

To find other statewide resources, visit the Missouri Recovery Portal at recovery.mo.gov.

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Residents in six more Missouri counties eligible to apply for federal aid

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Individuals in six additional Missouri counties are eligible to apply for federal help due to flooding and severe storms this year. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has approved Missouri’s request to expand a disaster declaration to include Callaway, Jefferson, Lewis, McDonald, Newton and Saline counties. The action makes individual support available to eligible Missourians for things like temporary housing, repairs, low-interest disaster loans, moving and storage, and the replacement of household items.

Residents in six more Missouri counties eligible to apply for federal aid

In a press release, Gov. Mike Parson says the move is welcome news for Missouri homeowners and renters who are working hard to recover and rebuild.

“FEMA assistance to individuals has sent nearly $5 million to help more than 1,000 Missouri families since the disaster was first declared on July 9. The extension of the disaster to these six additional counties means more people will receive important financial assistance. We urge eligible residents to apply for assistance now,” says Parson.

Parson and western Missouri Democratic Congressman Emanuel Cleaver held a meeting last week in the Kansas City suburb of Blue Springs to urge FEMA to approve this request.

FEMA disaster aid to eligible individuals generally falls into these categories:

• Housing Support may be available for up to 18 months for displaced homeowners or renters whose primary residences received major damage or were destroyed. Funding also can be provided for housing repairs and replacement of damaged items to make homes habitable.

• Other Needs Assistance may be available for other disaster-related expenses, including essential household items, moving and storage, vehicles, medical and dental, child care, funeral and burial, and some clean-up items not covered by insurance and other assistance programs.

• Low-Interest Disaster Loans are available after a disaster for homeowners and renters from the U.S. Small Business Administration to cover uninsured property losses. Loans may be available for repair or replacement of homes, automobiles, clothing, or other damaged personal property. Loans are also available to businesses for property loss and economic injury.

• Other Disaster Assistance Programs include crisis counseling, disaster-related unemployment assistance, disaster case management, and legal advice and assistance including income tax, housing issues, consumer protection, Social Security, and veterans’ benefits.

Those affected by the flooding or severe storms are encouraged to continue to document losses, including photographing damage and retaining receipts. The State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) is working with FEMA to identify new locations where FEMA will operate Disaster Recovery Centers to assist survivors with answers to their questions and help with registering for assistance. However, there is no need to wait to register. Disaster survivors are encouraged to register online or by calling FEMA. The deadline for most Individual Assistance programs is 60 days after the disaster has been declared by the President.

Residents can register by going to www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling FEMA’s toll-free registration number, 1-800-621-FEMA (3362), from 7 a.m. – 10 p.m., seven days a week. If you use a TTY, dial 1-800-462-7585.

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Missouri Congressional members seek answers about FEMA’s disaster aid policies

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Some Missourians have reported issues with the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s process for individual disaster assistance. Missouri U.S. Senators Josh Hawley and Roy Blunt, along with northern Missouri Congressman Sam Graves have sent a letter to FEMA’s administrator requesting clarification about the agency’s policy for offering individual help to residents.

Missouri Congressional members seek answers about FEMA’s disaster aid policies

The lawmakers say Missourians dealing with flooding are frustrated with FEMA’s confusing and poorly-communicated process for providing support. For example, aspects are undefined, including what constitutes ‘sustained damage’.

The letter also cites FEMA representatives have been unable to show them a standardized method for determining when non-FEMA resources (e.g. state disaster assistance or other federal programs) will not work for a given disaster response effort. Individual assistance only becomes available once FEMA has made this determination.

The letter goes on to say that Missourians either do not hear about or cannot access the disaster recovery centers opened in affected areas. Constituents also report that FEMA’s phone representatives are frequently uncooperative.

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Northwest Missouri weather impacting search for two missing Wisconsin brothers

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Authorities in northwest Missouri describe the search for two missing Wisconsin brothers as an “active death investigation.” Clinton County Sheriff Larry Fish briefed reporters Monday afternoon near a Braymer farm, explaining why it’s a death investigation.

“The finding of the truck and working on different leads with investigators, I can’t share any of that (with reporters) right now, at this time,” Fish says.

Sheriff Fish says investigators are actively following-up on leads in the search for brothers Nick and Justin Diemel. Fish tells reporters that investigators are searching multiple locations for the bodies. Dogs have been used to search some property.

“And we have a lot of leads that have come in, a lot of people have provided a lot of support,” says Fish. “And we are diligently working on those leads.”

25-year-old Garland Nelson of Braymer is charged with tampering with a motor vehicle and remains jailed without bond. Sheriff Fish says Nelson admits driving the Diemel’s rental truck from the farm and abandoning it in a commuter lot near Holt.

Online court records show Nelson appeared in Caldwell County Circuit Court in Kingston on Monday, to request a bond change. Nelson addressed Judge Jason Alfred Kanoy, who rejected the request. Judge Kanoy has scheduled a Thursday morning court hearing in Kingston.

Sheriff Fish says the Diemel brothers arrived at the farm last Sunday in a rental truck, as part of a business deal for cattle. Fish says investigators are trying to determine what happened during the transaction.

The sheriff also says wet weather across northwest Missouri is complicating the search.

“We had some rains over the weekend, as well. We had probably five inches of rain on Saturday, a few more inches of rain there on Sunday,” Fish says.

He says the search is long-term.

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FEMA approves Missouri’s request for disaster assistance to local agencies

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The Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved Missouri’s request for federal assistance to local governments and nonprofits in 68 counties to help recover from severe flooding and storms this year. The approval of Missouri’s July 16 request means the federal agency will assist with the cost of repairs to damaged roads, bridges and other public infrastructure, along with emergency response costs tied to the storms and flooding.

Brunswick flooding (Photos by Spc. Christopher Saunders and Capt. Phil Fountain)

The counties approved for public assistance by FEMA are the following: Adair, Andrew, Atchison, Barry, Barton, Bates, Bollinger, Buchanan, Caldwell, Camden, Cape Girardeau, Carroll, Cedar, Chariton, Clark, Cole, Dade, Dallas, Daviess, Douglas, Gentry, Grundy, Harrison, Henry, Hickory, Holt, Howell, Jackson, Jasper, Knox, Laclede, Lewis, Linn, Livingston, Macon, Maries, Marion, McDonald, Mercer, Miller, Mississippi, Monroe, Montgomery, New Madrid, Newton, Nodaway, Ozark, Pemiscot, Perry, Pike, Putnam, Ralls, Randolph, Ray, Ste. Genevieve, Saline, Schuyler, Scotland, Shannon, Shelby, Stoddard, Sullivan, Taney, Texas, Vernon, Wayne, Webster, and Wright.

FEMA’s decision also makes available assistance through its Hazard Mitigation Program to prevent or reduce long-term risk to life and property due to natural hazards.

Through today, FEMA has approved more than 910 households for individual assistance grants and provided more than $4.2 million directly to Missouri flooding and storm survivors to assist with their recovery. The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has approved more than $1.7 million in low-interest loans for Missourians.

FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program has paid more than $22 million to Missouri policyholders for flood claims filed since March. More than 1,524 claims have been filed.

In a press release, Gov. Mike Parson says the state expects to request the public assistance disaster declaration to be expanded to include additional counties as joint teams can fully assess damage in other counties. He’s meeting Tuesday with western Missouri Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, a Democrat, to talk about flooding and levees.

FEMA continues to review the state’s July 16 request to expand assistance to individual residents in the 25 counties of Adair, Barton, Callaway, Cape Girardeau, Christian, Clark, Cooper, Dallas, Douglas, Gasconade, Grundy, Harrison, Hickory, Howard, Jefferson, Laclede, Lewis, Macon, Marion, McDonald, Newton, Polk, Saline, St. Louis, and Ste. Genevieve.

To register for FEMA assistance, go to www.DisasterAssistance.gov or register by phone by calling 800-621-FEMA (3362). Telephone registration is available 7 a.m. – 10 p.m. daily.

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Parson and Cleaver to meet to discuss Missouri flooding and infrastructure issues

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Missouri’s governor is reiterating his call for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to manage the Missouri River differently. Governor Mike Parson briefed Capitol reporters last week at the Statehouse in Jefferson City.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson talks with Congressman Emanuel Cleaver (left) and others in flooded Orrick in April 2019 (file photo courtesy of Congressman Cleaver’s office)

“And if it means more money through some of the states, we’ve met with other governors,” Parson says. “The governor of Nebraska, the governors of Iowa and Kansas and talked about that very same thing.”

Parson notes more than 80 Missouri levees have overtopped or breached in 2019.

“How can we maybe pool some resources together to try to help this management of the Missouri River on the Missouri side of it, similar to what we do on the Mississippi (River) side,” says Parson.

Meantime, Governor Parson (R) will be meeting with U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Kansas City, and western Missouri farmers on Tuesday to discuss flooding and other agricultural issues.

Parson will travel to the state Department of Conservation’s Burr Oak Woods Nature Center in Blue Springs to meet with Congressman Cleaver and the Fifth District Agriculture Advisory Committee. Blue Springs is a Kansas City suburb.

The governor has signed an executive order creating a flood recovery advisory working group. Parson says Missouri “has been plagued by record-level flooding this year.” Parson says the group will provide input on Missouri’s flood recovery priorities and will also give feedback on Missouri’s current levee system.

While tomorrow’s 10 a.m. meeting is closed, Governor Parson and Congressman Cleaver will brief reporters after the Blue Springs meeting.

During an interview at the 2018 Missouri State Fair in Sedalia, Cleaver praised Parson’s emphasis on infrastructure.

“And then when he (Governor Parson) told me that he was going to put a list together of things that he wanted to do, and infrastructure was one of them, I said governor you and I are going to have a partnership. You can expect all the support you need from me,” Cleaver told Missourinet at the fair.

Cleaver’s district includes Kansas City and three rural western Missouri counties: Lafayette, Ray and Saline.

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