DED releases $2 million in disaster help

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The Missouri Department of Economic Development released $2 million Oct. 1 from its Disaster Recovery Fund to help four counties remove debris left by a series of tornadoes in May. |ret||ret||tab|

"Many communities are still trying to clean up debris left in the wake of tornadoes and severe storms that damaged at least 70 Missouri counties last May," said DED Director Joseph L. Driskill, in a news release, "We are working with these communities to help them rebuild and recover as quickly as possible, but recovery from devastation of this magnitude takes a lot of time, money and effort." |ret||ret||tab|

Cedar County will receive $718,458 to assist with debris removal in unincorporated areas of the county and within the city of Stockton. |ret||ret||tab|

Jasper County received approval for $892,905. In addition to the debris removal, the funds will help pay the salaries of two case manager supervisors who will be hired to lead efforts. Currently, there are still nearly 40 destroyed buildings that remain standing. |ret||ret||tab|

Lawrence County will receive $239,200 to help remove debris still remaining after Federal Emergency Management Agency cleanup was completed on private property, primarily located along state highways and along fence lines in an unincorporated area of the county. |ret||ret||tab|

Lewis County was approved for $152,600, which will be used to remove the debris from 40 destroyed buildings still standing within the county and the city of Canton. The funds will cover the costs of demolition, which could not be taken care of by property owners or with available federal disaster assistance or private insurance.|ret||ret||tab|

"Our department created the Disaster Recovery Fund from a variety of existing resources to help bridge the gap in recovery costs after federal assistance programs and personal insurance resources were exhausted," said Driskill. "This fund is designed to help meet the needs of our communities and businesses and restore the quality of life." |ret||ret||tab|

Funding was allocated from existing DED programs to create the Disaster Recovery Fund. |ret||ret||tab|

Those programs included the Missouri Housing Development Commission, the Neighborhood Assistance Program, Neighborhood Preservation Program, the Community Development Block Grant Program, and from the use of National Emergency Grant funds administered by DED's Division of Workforce Development. |ret||ret||tab|

The final application deadline for Disaster Recovery Fund resources was Sept. 30. Those applications are currently under review and will provide resources for projects primarily focused on restoring public infrastructure and housing, and assisting with other unmet needs. |ret||ret||tab|

Additional information on the Disaster Recovery Fund is available by calling the DED Community Development Division at 573-751-4146 or at www.missouri development.org. |ret||ret||tab|

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