Federal share of recovery costs for Missouri communities is estimated at $19.9 million for the state's third major disaster declaration request of 2026
Today, Governor Mike Kehoe announced that President Donald J. Trump has approved Missouri's request for a major disaster declaration for nine counties heavily impacted by the historic flash flooding and severe storms July 9-11.
"When historic flash flooding and storms devastated parts of south-central and southeast Missouri earlier this summer, our first responders, state emergency management team, and the Missouri National Guard were prepared and acted without hesitation as they rushed to rescue and evacuate flood victims,” Governor Kehoe said. “I appreciated the opportunity to speak with President Trump and share with him the incredible stories of heroism witnessed that night and in the days that followed. We thank President Trump for approving our major disaster declaration request and for his continued support as Missouri families and communities recover and rebuild.”
The President's action makes the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Public Assistance program available to local governments and qualifying nonprofits for the repair and restoration of damaged roads, bridges, and other public infrastructure as well as reimbursement of emergency response costs in Bollinger, Crawford, Iron, Madison, Morgan, Reynolds, Ripley, Washington, and Wayne counties.
On July 29, Governor Kehoe requested the federal disaster declaration after joint Preliminary Damage Assessments – coordinated with the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), FEMA, and local authorities – confirmed more than $26.5 million in emergency response expenses and damage to public infrastructure.
This is Missouri's third federal disaster declaration in 2026, following the approval of two other major disaster declaration requests by Governor Kehoe:
April 23 - 28 Storms: Approved: FEMA Public Assistance
June 4 - 18 Storms: Approved: FEMA Public Assistance
Missourians with 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 on disaster recovery in Missouri, including general cleanup information, housing assistance, and mental health services, please visit recovery.mo.gov.
###