Federal, private aid offered to tornado victims

The temporary headquarters was established after much of Missouri, including hard-hit Christian and Webster counties, was declared a national disaster area. Personnel from the State Emergency Management Agency, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Small Business Administration Disaster Assistance Division and the American Red Cross share the building.

“Tornado damage is amazing,” said FEMA spokesman Dean Cushman, who spent two weeks in Springfield after coming from Los Angeles on March 23 to respond to the storm damage.

“I mean, one house can be totally demolished, and the one right next to it can be totally untouched,” he said. “And you can’t figure out how the heck that ever happened.”

Of course, local private companies and nonprofits are chipping in, too.

Springfield-based Convoy of Hope, which participates in disaster relief efforts worldwide, has distributed more than 70,000 pounds of food and supplies to southwest Missouri.

Public Relations Director Kristin Kubitschek said the items have been distributed through area churches, Red Cross, Nixa-based Least of These, Marionville Fire Department, Clever Emergency Management Agency, Christian County Emergency Management Agency and Cedar County/El Dorado Springs Multi-Agency Resource Center.

“Rather than reinventing the wheel, Convoy of Hope, in this case, used the built-in distribution system, working with several of the local groups doing what they do best,” she said.

Tornadoes destroyed much of northern Nixa subdivision River Downs, including its water treatment plant. Two local companies are helping that cause.

Tuthill Vacuum & Blower Systems, 4840 W. Kearney St., installed two blowers April 5 to aerate the bacterium that has accumulated in the wastewater. Two additional blowers are in the process of being installed.

Mark Nix and Steve Magruder of Lumix Electrical Inc., 1008 Bittersweet Court in Nixa, have donated labor, electrical controls and power devices to get the plant functioning.

“We do that every time that there’s a disaster in the area,” Nix said. “It’s part of being a good neighbor.”

Federal dollars

SBA spokeswoman Charmagne Husmann said the SBA runs its disaster assistance division separately from its regular functions. Its purpose, she said, is to aid storm victims when their private insurance reimbursements don’t quite fill their needs.

“Where our regular SBA program is for small businesses to assist them in getting started, … our disaster assistance loans are available to homeowners, renters, all-sized businesses (and) some private nonprofits,” she said. “We have a more thorough range.”

Husmann said disaster assistance loans to businesses are capped at $1.5 million, and are available typically for up to 30 years at 4 percent interest.

SBA also has an Economic Injury Loan program, which acts as working capital if an undamaged business is losing revenues due to surrounding storm damage.

Loans to homeowners and renters are usually available for 2.87 percent interest. The SBA can lend up to $200,000 for homeowners and up to $40,000 for homeowners and renters for personal-property loss.

Husmann said loans are issued on an individual basis based on the recipient’s ability to repay.

Statewide, the SBA has issued about 1,300 home loans and 250 business loans in response to the March 12 storms. Christian County received 200 total loans, though Husmann neither had a breakdown by type nor a dollar volume.

FEMA’s Cushman said his agency is designed to help only residential damage. Like the SBA, FEMA can’t duplicate insurance reimbursements.

Cushman said FEMA has awarded $247,000 in statewide funds so far. He didn’t have a dollar breakdown for southwest Missouri, though he said 170 people in Christian County have registered for assistance.

Cushman didn’t have an average assistance amount awarded, noting that every case is unique.

In some cases, FEMA also helps with the cost of temporary hotel stays for displaced people, personal-property loss, funeral expenses and medical and dental expenses.

Cushman encouraged people to register and said they remain eligible for FEMA assistance for a year.

“At least by registering, it’s a kind of additional insurance policy,” he said.[[In-content Ad]]