McCaskill Statement on Cuts to Missouri Disaster Relief Funds

U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill released the following statement following a decision by the Federal Emergency Management Administration to redirect funding from Joplin and other Missouri areas that have received federal disaster declarations, to communities impacted by Hurricane Irene.



"Days ago I walked the streets of Joplin. I saw construction projects where rubble had been, I saw parks where trees had toppled, and I saw a community trying to heal and rebuild -- I didn't see any camera trucks. I warned FEMA and assured victims in Joplin that they would not be forgotten after the camera trucks lowered their antennas and rolled out of town, I will fight to make sure that promise is kept. FEMA should be prepared for all types of disasters and have the resources to respond rapidly and stay until the work is done, and until the community is made whole again."

Brad Lager Vice Chair of Disaster Recovery Committee

Thousands of Missouri families, residents and businesses that have been impacted by a number of natural disasters across the state will soon confront less red tape based on the work assigned to the Senate Interim Committee on Natural Disaster Recovery. Senate Leader Robert N. Mayer, R-Dexter, created the committee to examine what actions the Legislature should take in order to best assist Missouri residents and local governments as they recover and rebuild.

“Thousands of Missouri families have been in harm’s way this year because of natural disasters, and for many more, their way of living has been threatened,” Mayer said. “As lawmakers, it is our job to make sure government is helpful, rather than a burden, in the rebuilding process. That is why I created this interim committee to look at all aspects of recovery and the role government should play.”

Missourians across the state have been plagued recently by both natural and man-made disasters:

§ Dec. 31, 2010: Storms and tornadoes struck nine Missouri counties (Carter, Christian, Dent, Franklin, Phelps, Polk, St. Louis, Stone, Webster) and the city of St. Louis killing five people.

§ Jan. 31-Feb. 1, 2011: A blizzard brings record snow to 44 counties, triggering a State of Emergency.

§ April 22: Tornadoes in the St. Louis metropolitan area destroyed or damaged hundreds of homes and led to the temporary closing of the Lambert-St. Louis International Airport.

§ April 19-27: Heavy rainfall leads to levee breaches and flash flooding in the counties of Barry, Bollinger, Butler, Cape Girardeau, Carter, Christian, Douglas, Dunklin, Howell, Iron, Lawrence, Madison, Maries, McDonald, Mississippi, New Madrid, Newton, Oregon, Ozark, Pemiscot, Perry, Phelps, Pike, Polk, Pulaski, Reynolds, Ripley, St. Francois, Scott, Shannon, Stoddard, Stone, Taney, Texas, Washington, Wayne, Webster and Wright. Poplar Bluff’s flood receives national attention while hundreds of homes and businesses are damaged across the state.

§ May 2: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers chose to blow open the levy at Bird’s Point opening the Bird’s Point-New Madrid floodway on the Mississippi River in Southeast Missouri, ultimately flooding more than 100 homes and 130,000 acres of prime farmland, with some still under water today.

§ May 22: A F5 tornado tore through Joplin, killing 154 people and destroying more than 8,000 homes and businesses in Jasper and Newton counties.

§ May 25: A tornado struck Sedalia causing damage to area homes and businesses, and injuring 25 people.

§ June 15–present: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began releasing a record 150,000 cubic feet per second of water from Gavins Point Dam in South Dakota triggering flooding along the Missouri River, expected to remain through summer.

Mayer named Sen. Ron Richard, R-Joplin, as chairman and Sen. Brad Lager, R-Savannah, as vice chairman. Mayer said both senators represent districts that have been and are currently being tragically impacted by a tornado and flooding, respectively. Mayer said Richard and Lager are committed to making sure Missourians do not have to battle government in their efforts to recover and rebuild.

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NATURAL DISASTER INTERIM COMMITTEE

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The Senate Interim Committee on Natural Disaster Recovery is comprised of three subcommittees charged with focusing on specific areas of response and recovery. Those subcommittees are: Emergency Response, Fiscal Response and Insurance Response. Each subcommittee will work with the appropriate administrative agencies in order to make preliminary reports to the committee’s chairman before the annual veto session held Sept. 14.

Other senators named to the committee include (listed by subcommittee):

Emergency Response – Sen. Mike Kehoe (chairman), R-Jefferson City; Sen. Will Kraus, R-Lee’s Summit; Sen. Brian Nieves, R-Washington; Senate Majority Floor Leader Tom Dempsey, R-St. Charles; Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal, D-University City; and Sen. Ryan McKenna, D-Crystal City.

Fiscal Response – Sen. Kurt Schaeffer (chairman), R-Columbia; Sen. Brian Munzlinger, R-Williamstown; Sen. Dan Brown, R-Rolla; Sen. Jim Lembke, R-St. Louis; Sen. Tim Green, D-Spanish Lake; and Sen. Kiki Curls, D-Kansas City.

Insurance Response – Sen. Mike Parson (chairman), R-Bolivar; Sen. Scott T. Rupp, R-Wentzville; Sen. Jay Wasson, R-Nixa; Sen. Bob Dixon, R-Springfield; Senate Minority Leader Victor Callahan, D-Independence; and Sen. Jolie Justus, D-Kansas City.

To learn more about the interim committees announced this week, visit www.senate.mo.gov.

Sheridan Youth Raise Money for Joplin

A group of Sheridan youth set up a lemonaide stand in front of Sheridan Christian Church and raised $20.20 for tornado victims in Joplin. Molly and Jeshua Blaine and Emily and Ethan Thomas worked the stand; Jeshua was actively flagging down traffic to buy lemonade. Sheridan Christian Church has gone down twice to help out and Karen Fletchall also took a van down there as well. Jeff Blaine, pastor of Sheridan Christian Church, said that things were still really bad down in Joplin and that they needed all the help they could get.

FEMA Committed To Finding Temporary Housing For Storm Survivors

Helping survivors of the recent severe storms, flooding and tornadoes find temporary housing is one of the priority activities of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), local government and voluntary agencies.

A housing mission planning team is on the ground in Missouri to support the state in meeting its objectives of finding temporary suitable and functional housing in the communities impacted by the recent severe weather. Emergency assistance workers have been conducting call-outs to disaster assistance applicants to determine each applicant’s individual housing needs.

This team, comprised of housing and technical experts from FEMA, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, USDA Rural Development, and voluntary agencies, is assisting the state-led housing task force in establishing housing priorities and seeking ways to maximize housing resources, such as apartments and rental units and other options.

FEMA is asking landlords with available rental housing to register their units by calling the FEMA Helpline at 1-800-621-FEMA (3362). When local rental resources do not exist, other options may be considered to help people find a safe and sanitary place to live.

The first step for individuals to be considered for temporary housing assistance is to register with FEMA. Registration may be completed online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov, by smartphone through m.FEMA.gov, or by phone by calling FEMA’s toll-free registration line at 1-800-621-FEMA (3362). Individuals with hearing or speech impairment may call TTY 1-800-462-7585, or use 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS) to call 1-800-621-3362. Telephone registration is available from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., every day.

Inspectors are on the ground assessing the registrant’s storm damage, and FEMA is approving financial assistance for housing, such as rental assistance, home repair and replacement money, and financial assistance for other essential disaster-related needs.

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) provides low-interest disaster loans to help

homeowners, renters and businesses rebuild or repair their damaged houses and replace lost property. Filling out an SBA application is part of the FEMA registration process. A substantial amount of disaster aid comes through SBA disaster loans.

As of close of business, Tuesday, May 31, 2011, 10,624 disaster survivors have registered with FEMA for some form of disaster aid. To date, more than $15 million has been approved.

Convoy Brings Hope to City of Joplin

Convoy of Hope, a Christian disaster response ministry, is spearheading relief efforts for families victimized by the vicious tornado that destroyed approximately 30 per cent of the city of Joplin, Missouri.

"Thousands of survivors in Joplin are hurting today," says Hal Donaldson, President of the Springfield, Missouri-based ministry. "Some have lost loved ones; thousands have lost their homes, posessions, and businesses. It's heartbreaking, but it also provides an opportunity for the nation to come alongside the residents of Joplin to give them hope."

As of Friday, Convoy of Hope had delivered nearly 500,000 pounds of food, water, and emergency relief supplies to the Joplin community from its World Distribution Center Warehouse in Springfield. Convoy of Hope is also delivering tents, cots, blankets, camp stoves, lanterns, and propane donated by Bass Pro Shops in Springfield.

"The outpouring of support has been phenomenal," Donaldson says. "We want to thank all the corporations that are donating truckloads of supplies and everyone making financial contributions. This is what keeps our trucks rolling and ensuring that the people of Joplin receive the help they need to get through this traumatic episode."

NASCAR driver Jamie McMurray, a native of Joplin, is also encouraging support of the Convoy of Hope disaster response effort. McMurray's racing team affixed the Convoy of Hope logo and the words "Joplin, MO" to his Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Marine race car that competed in Sunday's Coca-Cola Sprint 600 NASCAR race.

"I think it's really hard for people who see all the pictures to know what the town used to look like," says McMurray. The NASCAR driver says that not only was the house he grew up in destroyed in the tornado, but the entire neighborhood he lived in was taken out.

Convoy of Hope continues to work through churches and volunteer teams to meet the needs of those who are struggling to put life back together. The ministry is using the site of the Faith Assembly of God Church in Joplin as a temporary base of operations.

The church building at Faith Assembly was severely damaged in the tornado, and services are being held under a large tent on the parking lot. "People tell me our church is gone," said Pastor Larry Griffin. "But I tell them it's not gone. It's right here under this tent."

You can send a $10 donation to Convoy of Hope by texting CONVOY to 50555.

While we rarely agree with President Barack Obama and his perspective on life, we are grateful for the excellent Scripture-inspired message he shared at the memorial service at Missouri Southern State University on Sunday.

The President quoted from 2 Corinthians 4:9: "We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed."

He concluded with lyrics from the song "Amazing Grace:" "Through many dangers, toils, and snares I have already come; 'Tis Grace that brought me safe thus far and Grace will lead me home. Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail, and mortal life shall cease, I shall possess within the veil, a life of joy and peace."

The President concluded the recitation by saying: "May Grace guide the people of Joplin home." If there is any community in this state and nation which has long been guided by God's Grace, it's Joplin, Missouri. We are thankful that the President recognizes that that is what makes Joplin great.

HHS agencies to provide ongoing support for communities impacted by Joplin disaster

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services personnel from the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) began returning to their home states today after deploying to assist in mass fatality operations in the aftermath of a devastating tornado in Joplin, Mo. HHS will provide ongoing assistance with additional aspects of response and recovery.
NDMS, within the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, provides medical, victim identification, and veterinary personnel, equipment and supplies to augment state and local resources in disaster response. Similar to military reservists, NDMS personnel come from private sector jobs around the country to respond as intermittent federal employees during disasters. In the tornado response, the state of Missouri requested NDMS support in victim identification.
This response represents the largest number of NDMS mass fatality personnel deployed to a domestic disaster since Hurricane Katrina in 2005. More than 100 personnel from NDMS Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Teams and Family Assistance Center Teams assisted the local coroner’s office in identifying victims of the tornado. This NDMS support for 24-hour efforts in Missouri helped the coroner’s office reunite all victims with their loved ones as quickly as possible in a dignified, respectful manner.
“We’re honored to help state and local authorities bring some sense of closure to the families who lost family members to this storm,” said Dr. Nicole Lurie, assistant secretary for preparedness and response. “Although the situation in Joplin is still difficult, we’ve witnessed a tremendous amount of pride and resilience in the community. HHS will continue to work closely with state and local officials on the ongoing need for social services as the community recover.”
State, federal, and nonprofit partners are collaborating to meet the child care needs of Joplin families. The HHS Administration for Children and Families, in partnership with the Missouri Department of Social Services, convened a task force to address emergency child care needs as well as the recovery of the community's child care capacity. The tornado destroyed 19 child care centers with combined capacity to serve approximately 600 children.
The HHS Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is working with the state to bring the National Crisis Counseling Program to the impacted counties. The program supports short-term interventions to help disaster survivors in their recovery process. Immediately after the tornado, SAMHSA provided stress and grief materials to state and local agencies for use in counseling programs, primary care sites and other areas from which survivors are likely to seek help. With 20 of the area’s 25 mental health facilities destroyed, SAMHSA is also providing technical assistance to the state in restoring this behavioral health infrastructure.
To ensure that sufficient health care items and services are available to meet the needs of Medicare, Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program beneficiaries in the affected area, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is monitoring the status of health care facilities. CMS will waive or modify certain federal requirements as necessary and in accordance with the law for these facilities, such as allowing critical access hospitals to take more than the statutorily mandated limit of 25 patients and not count the expected longer lengths of stay for evacuated patients against the 96-hour average.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is supporting the Joplin health department on restaurant inspections and on-going public health monitoring. CDC is also providing information on how to prevent illnesses and injuries as the community cleans up and clears debris from the tornado.
To ensure the safety of products regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, the FDA worked last week with state and local health departments to complete inspections of food processing facilities and pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers that were located in the affected area.
For information on HHS support for response and recovery efforts in Missouri, visit www.phe.gov.

Opinion: Spring Contrasts

By Dr. Marvin Folkertsma

Madison, Wisconsin’s winter follies relinquished their national attention to Tuscaloosa’s tornado in April, events along the Mississippi in May, and finally to the most recent twister in Joplin, Missouri, where genuine suffering puts into perspective tenured teachers who are learning that they must actually pay a fraction of their healthcare costs. Fitting substitutions, these last two; call this a progression from decadence to renewal and resilience, in that order. While public-sector unions’ diatribes against Governor Walker don’t exactly bring to mind the turpitude of France’s pre-revolutionary aristocracy, whiffs of decadence radiate from their collective persona.

What is decadence, exactly? An online dictionary describes it in terms of “moral deterioration, decay, turpitude, unrestrained or excessive self-indulgence”—all of which capture the unions’ ethical condition, particularly the “excessive self-indulgence” part. Jacques Barzun devoted a lengthy volume to the subject, From Dawn to Decadence, in which he stated that “when people accept … the absurd as normal, the culture is decadent.” A kinder expression for the word “absurd” is “not sustainable,” especially applied to public-sector union benefits, but both point to the same condition. “We ask government workers to make a 5.8 percent contribution to their pensions and a 12.6 percent contribution to their health-insurance premium, both of which are well below what other workers pay for benefits,” Governor Walker stated in March. For that, he was compared to the KKK and other depraved aspects of American culture.

Indeed, the greatest contribution to our national discourse by Wisconsin’s civil servants was the chanting of an Orwellian, Animal Farm-like equivalent to “four legs good, two legs bad.” This was offered in the relative comfort of the state’s capitol building, and to the plaudits of many in the national press. “Shame, shame, shame,” they hollered, when they actually deserved the “blame, blame, blame” for contemptuous indifference to the public welfare in deference to their own demands. There is a name for such perfervid selfishness—it’s called decadence. In short, don’t seek self-sacrifice for the greater good among public-sector unions in Wisconsin; it’s all about me, me, me.

Leaving the Badger State behind and entering Tuscaloosa’s landscape is a sobering contrast, redeemed by countless tales of Americans from every part of the republic coming forward to rebuild, repair, and restore that stricken city. Indeed, live videos of the tornadoes that devastated the city put to shame the best efforts of the wizards at Industrial Light and Magic; Spielberg and Lucas could not have provided more stunning portrayals. These came with actual costs in terms of lives lost and property destroyed—first in five states including Alabama, and now in Missouri, where the Joplin twister was responsible for the highest death toll from a tornado in more than half a century.

The wake of the cyclones resembles a battleground: "I've grown up my entire life here in the city of Tuscaloosa, and today when I went out after the storm there were parts of the city that literally I didn't recognize from the destruction that came upon from these tornadoes," Tuscaloosa Mayor Walter Maddox told CNN. But the devastation also spawned scores of websites—do a Google search to find out how many—and dozens of celebrities, all devoted to raising funds, offering assistance, and otherwise helping residents rebuild their shattered homes, neighborhoods, and businesses. Care for a fresh breath of altruism? You’ll find it in Tuscaloosa; you’ll find it in Joplin.

But if sheer mental toughness is your cup of tea, travel to Mississippi and Louisiana. Streaming videos that show inhabitants of the Atchafalaya Basin being inundated by the Mississippi’s floodwaters demonstrate American resilience at its best: determination to prevail in a tragic context that often hints at altruism. ABC News reports that Kate Buchanan, a resident in the path of approaching floodwaters, and who likely will lose her home as well as her business, had this to say: “Everybody is stoic, they understand. People in New Orleans got it a few years ago. There’s a lot fewer people here. These folks are made of much sterner stuff here. We’re not going to whine and cry.” Another resident affirmed that “people are strong here, they are going to rebuild better than ever.”

To which an observer may only say, Wow! After all, it is the farms and homes and small towns of America’s Kate Buchanans that are being sacrificed for the greater good of forestalling potential catastrophes downstream that could obliterate Baton Rouge and New Orleans. The residents who endured these natural disasters grasp this matter, and the rest of America may express admiration and plaudits, while reaching into their hearts, pockets, and workdays to offer assistance. Those hearty and brave souls in the path of Mississippi’s frightening torrents, along with their cousins in Tuscaloosa and Joplin, know the difference between comfort and hardship, between rhetoric and sacrifice—unlike the folks back at Madison, Wisconsin.

All of which leads to the conclusion that the American spirit that embodies altruism, self-sacrifice, and generosity remains alive and well, if you know where to look for it. The best news is that you really don’t have to look very far.

— Dr. Marvin Folkertsma is a professor of political science and fellow for American studies with The Center for Vision & Values at Grove City College. The author of several books, his latest release is a high-energy novel titled "The Thirteenth Commandment."

116 Killed in Joplin Tornado; 2nd Harvest Reaches Out

At least 116 people were killed in Joplin Sunday as that city took a direct hit. At its worst, the tornado was 3/4 of a mile wide and 6 miles long. One of the hospitals took a direct hit from the twister and most people had less than 20 minutes warning before the storm hit. Debris was flying through the air and trucks overturned on the interstate. The Joplin Globe somehow printed only one hour late as nearly all of their employees showed up for work and 81 out of their 91 carriers showed up to deliver the papers despite the fact that many of them had lost their homes.


Second Harvest Community Food Bank of St. Joseph is preparing to help those affected by the devastating tornado that hit Joplin on May 22nd. Second Harvest will provide food and personal hygiene items to anyone displaced due to the disaster. Those seeking assistance will only need to present identification from the Joplin area in order to receive food. Second Harvest has over 100 agencies in Northeast Kansas and Northwest Missouri. All of these agencies will also assistant those displaced by Sunday’s deadly tornadoes.

Second Harvest is asking the public to donate specific items that will be sent to the Joplin area to aid those in need. The following food items are currently needed:

1. Diapers
2. Canned food with pop tops that can be eaten without being cooked
3. Personal hygiene items
4. Crackers and snack items for children

People can also make financial donations restricted for disaster relief by going to http://www.ourcommunityfoodbank.org/give_money. Financial donations can also be brought to the Second Harvest office located at 915 Douglas. If you have any questions, please call Second Harvest at 364-FOOD.

The area has been declared a disaster area with Governor Nixon activating the National Guard. Electric and highway crews from all over the state including Northwest Missouri will go down to help the city rebuild.

To donate to the Red Cross, send donations to:

Southwest Missouri Bank
Red Cross Joplin Tornado Fund
110 N. Neosho Blvd.
Neosho, Missouri
64850

Northwest Missouri FCA is also helping with relief efforts. At least four coaches for the Missouri Southern football team lost everything in the storm and FCA is taking donations to help them rebuild. For more information: http://www.nwmofca.org/benevolence-fund

A Facebook page, Joplin Tornado Info, has been established for people to exchange information about the storm. There are still people missing.

The State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) continues to work with Missouri state and local agencies to provide all necessary response resources to Joplin, following Sunday’s deadly tornado

Responders are being coordinated through established regional mutual aid agreements and requests filed with SEMA for state and federal resources.

Missourians interested in volunteering to assist should first call (800) 427-4626 or 2-1-1, instead of reporting directly to a command post or the disaster area. Those with medical skills interested in volunteering should go to: https://www.showmeresponse.org/.

Missourians wishing to make donations to help with the relief effort can go to http://www.sema.dps.mo.gov/recover/donations.asp or call (800) 427-4626 or 2-1-1.

Residents affected by the tornado who wish to notify their friends and family that they are safe should go to: https://safeandwell.communityos.org/cms/index.php. Friends and family who would like to check on their loved ones in the affected area can use the same site.

Missourians who need disaster information, shelter information or referrals are urged to call

2-1-1. The United Way’s 211 service number is now available for most areas in Missouri. In areas where the 211 number is not operational, citizens can call 800-427-4626.

Northwest Missouri Cellular customers can text JOPLIN to 864833 (Salvation Army) or REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. The amount will be added to your bill.