Today, Governor Mike Kehoe announced he has requested that President Donald J. Trump approve a major disaster declaration to provide federal assistance to nine counties in response to historic flash flooding and severe storms July 9-11. This marks Missouri's third federal disaster declaration request of 2026.
"As communities impacted by recent flash flooding continue to move forward with recovery efforts, I want to once again thank all who have stepped up to support their neighbors," said Governor Kehoe. “The damage has overwhelmed local communities, placing a tremendous burden on them that far exceeds their capacity to recover without federal assistance. The estimated damage in Iron County alone surpassed $19.7 million, while the entire state threshold to qualify for federal disaster assistance is $11.9 million – emphasizing the extent of the devastation locally.”
Joint preliminary damage assessments conducted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), and local officials estimated more than $26.5 million in emergency response costs and damage to public infrastructure in Bollinger, Crawford, Iron, Madison, Morgan, Reynolds, Ripley, Washington, and Wayne counties because of the July 9-11 storm system. The federal major disaster declaration the Governor is seeking for this period would make the FEMA Public Assistance program available to local governments and qualifying nonprofits for the repair and rebuilding of damaged roads, bridges, and other public infrastructure as well as reimbursement of emergency response costs and debris removal.
On July 24 and 25, a total of 144 families with 232 adults and 39 children connected to services and supplies provided by volunteers, faith-based partners and state and local agencies at a Multi-Agency Resource Center held in Centerville.
Missourians still experiencing unmet needs are encouraged to contact United Way at 2-1-1 or the American Red Cross at 1-800-733-2767. For additional resources and information about disaster recovery in Missouri, including general clean-up information, housing assistance, and mental health services, please visit recovery.mo.gov.
The two other major disaster declarations Governor Kehoe has requested in 2026 are:
June 4 – 18 Storms: Pending: FEMA Public Assistance
April 23 - 28 Storms: Approved: FEMA Public Assistance
For more information on the federal disaster declaration process, visit the SEMA website.
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