“In the week after Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast, I went to Louisiana with some determined, caring constituents to see what relief we could provide.  Right after an F3 tornado ripped through Pemiscot County and Caruthersville, Missouri, I went to survey the damage there and see what we can do to help.

 

If I showed you two pictures, one of the devastation in New Orleans after Katrina and another of Caruthersville after the tornado, you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.

 

Victims of the tornado throughout Pemiscot County have been affected in much the same way as those along the Gulf Coast: their houses have been damaged or destroyed, their schools are inoperable, their possessions have been lost, their streets are littered with debris.  And the same federal programs in place to help the victims of Katrina also apply to a disaster of this magnitude in Missouri.

 

I left Missouri on Tuesday with a clear purpose: to get open avenues to federal resources as soon as possible.  Governor Blunt immediately declared a state of emergency and shortly thereafter made the request for a presidential declaration of disaster.  From Congress, our two U.S. Senators, Kit Bond and Jim Talent, and I pushed for that designation, which was signed by President Bush and is now in place.

 

The importance of this designation cannot be understated.  Through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, vital resources and programs will be made available to the State of Missouri, Pemiscot County, and the victims of this tragic natural disaster.  In addition, experienced federal personnel from the region will be available to assist the response and recovery efforts, starting with the primary tasks of debris removal, temporary housing, and food and water.

 

For the State of Missouri, FEMA will help identify priority large-scale projects to use funds for the Federal Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.  These projects, particularly to assist clean-up and reconstruction, will be 75 percent-funded by the federal government.

 

Pemiscot County is eligible for FEMA Public Assistance to get essential services back up and running, whether that means repairing, restoring, reconstructing or replacing a public facility damaged by the storm.  This program covers debris removal, emergency protective measures, road systems, bridges, water control facilities, public buildings, public utilities and parks.  In short, these funds can be used to get electricity infrastructure operational and secure, storm sewers functioning, roads fixed and cleared, and to help law enforcement deal with the colossal challenge they face.

 

Finally, and most important to the families who have lost their homes and valued possessions, an Assistance Program just like the one available to victims of Katrina is available to victims of the tornado.  Assistance through FEMA is available for several purposes, including the following:

Tornado victims in Pemiscot County should register with the Federal Emergency Management Agency as soon as possible by calling 1-800-621-FEMA.

 

But the best assistance is not coming from the federal government, it is coming from those men and women on the ground, pitching in and helping out their neighbors in a time of urgent need.  I have been literally moved by the number of volunteers and first responders who have left their own communities to serve in Pemiscot County. 

 

That is what we are about in Southern Missouri – we see a disaster and we respond, respond, respond.”