Ozark Border Electric Cooperative Archives

Federal disaster declaration approved for 19 Missouri counties hit by May storms

July 10, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

President Donald Trump has approved Gov. Mike Parson’s request for a federal major disaster declaration for 19 Missouri counties hit by severe storms on May 3 and 4. The declaration means local governments and nonprofit agencies can request public help for response and recovery costs associated with the storms. A press release from Parson’s office says the federal aid will help with repair and replacement costs for damage to electric power systems, buildings, bridges, roads, and other public infrastructure.

Missourinet Lebanon affiliate KBNN reports Monday’s severe weather caused damage at the Floyd Jones Airport in Lebanon (May 4, 2020 photo courtesy of KBNN Radio website)

Poplar Bluff-based Ozark Border Electric Cooperative in southeast Missouri described the storms as the worst to hit the region since the 2009 ice storm. KFVS-TV in Cape Girardeau reported more than 10,000 residents across the region were without power for a time. An EF-1 tornado also swirled through the Bootheel town of Marston. The Floyd Jones Airport in southern Missouri’s Lebanon was also damaged.

Preliminary damage estimates are in the neighborhood of $9.3 million.

The counties battered by the storms are mostly in southeast Missouri, but also include ones in western, southwest and southern Missouri. The governor requested federal assistance for Bates, Butler, Carter, Dallas, Douglas, Dunklin, Henry, Hickory, Howell, Laclede, New Madrid, Oregon, Pemiscot, Polk, Ripley, Shannon, Stoddard, Wayne, and Wright Counties.

“As Missouri continues to respond to COVID-19 and build on our economic recovery efforts, Federal Emergency Management Agency assistance will now provide much needed support to local governments and nonprofits that sustained the brunt of the damage from the May storms,” Gov. Parson says. “The hard work of Missouri citizens, businesses, and communities are fueling our recovery, and this federal assistance will help us continue to move our state forward.”

The disaster declaration also means FEMA Hazard Mitigation assistance will be available to Missouri to help with cost-effective measures to reduce the chance of for future damage to public infrastructure as a result of natural disasters.

Governor requests federal disaster declaration for 19 Missouri counties damaged by May storms

June 17, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

Gov. Mike Parson has requested President Donald Trump’s approval of a major federal disaster declaration for 19 Missouri counties damaged by storms last month. Joint preliminary assessments estimate more than $9.3 million in damage to public infrastructure from storms that hit the state on May 3 and 4. The counties affected are mostly in southeast Missouri, but also include ones in western, southwest and southern Missouri.

U.S. Capitol dome

The governor is requesting public assistance for Bates, Butler, Carter, Dallas, Douglas, Dunklin, Henry, Hickory, Howell, Laclede, New Madrid, Oregon, Pemiscot, Polk, Ripley, Shannon, Stoddard, Wayne and Wright counties.

“Our local, state, and federal assessment teams have documented extensive damage to electric power systems and other public infrastructure as a result of the severe storms,” Parson says in a press release. “Our Missouri communities are already strapped by emergency response costs because of COVID-19. I am confident federal assistance will be forthcoming.”

If a federal declaration is approved, local governments and qualifying nonprofits could request federal aid for emergency response and recovery costs of public infrastructure damaged.

State and federal emergency management agencies conducted virtual damage assessments due to COVID-19.

Earlier story:
Power restored in southeast Missouri’s Portageville; storms described as worst since 2009 https://wp.me/p16gMv-wvj

UPDATE: Power restored in southeast Missouri’s Portageville; storms described as worst since 2009

May 5, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

(Missourinet Cape Girardeau television partner KFVS and Missourinet Portageville affiliate KMIS contributed to this story)

UPDATE ON WEDNESDAY AT 11:55 AM: Missourinet Portageville affiliate KMIS reports power has been restored to all of Portageville, and that 75 residents in the Gideon area are still without power. Ozark Border Electric says 1,964 residents in southeast Missouri are still without power. KMIS also reports crews are now repairing about a dozen broken utility poles along Highway 412, in the Bootheel’s Dunklin County … Brian

ORIGINAL STORY IS BELOW:

A utility company that serves eight southeast Missouri counties describes Sunday and Monday’s severe storms as the worst to hit the region since the 2009 ice storm.

Poplar Bluff-based Ozark Border Electric Cooperative says that, as of late Tuesday night, 2,504 of their customers remain without power. The highest number is in Carter County, with 709 outages.

Monday’s storms caused major problems throughout the region, deep into the Bootheel. The entire town of Portageville lost power, and two tractor trailers were blown over on I-55 near Wardell. The storm also destroyed two homes in the Bootheel town of Campbell, where a tree fell on a woman’s house.

“It (the storm) kind of came up on us quick, there was so much hail that we really didn’t even realize that the tree had fell until we looked a little bit later, because it was hitting the house so hard that we really thought it was going to break our glass door,” the homeowner tells our Cape Girardeau television partner KFVS.

Ozark Border Electric notes some of their linemen were in the field for 31 hours straight, on Sunday and Monday. While much of Missouri enjoyed bright sunshine on Sunday, weather in far southeast Missouri was stormy.

The National Weather Service (NWS) in Paducah has confirmed that an EF-1 tornado with estimated peak winds of 95 miles per hour hit the Bootheel town of Marston on Sunday. The tornado was on the ground for six miles, according to NWS. No injuries are reported.

Meantime, officials in far southeast Missouri’s Portageville hope power is restored to their entire community by Wednesday afternoon. U.S. Rep. Jason Smith, R-Salem, who represents southeast Missouri on Capitol Hill, tells Missourinet that Monday’s severe storms knocked power out to the entire town of Portageville.

“The communities of Gideon, Wardell and then near Portageville were hit pretty hard,” Smith says.

Portageville, Gideon and Wardell are all in the Bootheel. Portageville is working with emergency management officials to receive large generators at the water plant by Wednesday morning, to ensure efficient water supply. Our Missourinet Portageville affiliate KMIS reports power was restored to about 1,000 residents late Tuesday afternoon.

KFVS reports more than 10,000 residents across southeast Missouri were without power, at the highest point.