Kehoe requests disaster assistance for hailstorm in Greene County

Gov. Mike Kehoe is seeking federal aid for the recent hailstorm in Greene County.

Kehoe issued a request for individual and public assistance through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, according to a news release. A hailstone in Springfield on April 28 was confirmed to be 4.75 inches in diameter, the largest hail on record in Springfield or Greene County.

“Last week, local, state, and federal assessment teams documented the high level of destruction and significant response costs that were a result of this severe weather system, which included at least eight confirmed tornadoes and softball-sized hail in some areas,” Kehoe said in the May 22 release. “The damage in Greene County alone surpassed the total state threshold to qualify for federal disaster assistance. When the damage in all the other counties is included, the total is triple Missouri’s damage threshold, and beyond the capacity of these hard-hit communities to meet without federal assistance.”

Joint preliminary damage assessments estimate more than $36 million in damages for Greene County and multiple others that had recent destructive storms. According to the release, Missouri's per capita threshold for public assistance is $11.9 million.

Springfield Public Schools alone sustained roughly $15 million in damages, according to past reporting.