WASHINGTON   –  U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (MO-08) today asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency to speedily consider Missouri’s request to waive a 25 percent local cost share for federal public assistance grants related to January’s ice storm disaster.

“All told, the cost share requirement could total over $62 million from our state and our communities.  Given everything we’re going through, from the rural economy to dealing with the fallout from the ice storm still today, $62 million is too much to ask,” Emerson said.

Emerson’s letter asks FEMA to provide the disaster relief funds without requiring any local match.

“People tend to forget how long it truly takes to recover from a severe storm like this one unless they are living among the debris and seeing the damage day after day.  We still have a tremendous amount of work to set our communities straight,” Emerson said.  “We simply can’t do this job right unless we can put these federal funds to work with no strings attached.”

A copy of Emerson’s letter to FEMA follows:

April 24, 2009


Dear Acting Administrator Ward: 

I sincerely appreciate the quick federal response from President Obama and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) following the ice storms earlier this year in Missouri and neighboring states.  The major disaster declaration issued by the president has enabled critical rebuilding efforts to continue in Southern Missouri communities that were devastated by this natural disaster.

The affected counties I represent are part of the 20th poorest congressional district in the nation and are classified as persistent poverty counties.  In addition, rebuilding efforts are taking place in the midst of an economic crisis that has caused extraordinary budget difficulties for state and local governments.  Unfortunately, because the declaration did not include an adjustment to the federal cost share, a significant financial burden remains on our local communities to pay for ongoing recovery efforts.  For the January ice storms, FEMA has identified roughly $250 million in public assistance damages.  Based on the current federal cost share level of 75 percent, the share for state and local entities will exceed $62 million.  Adjustment to the cost share is essential if our state and affected communities are able to fully recover from this disaster. 

Missouri Governor Jay Nixon has requested that the federal cost share be adjusted to 100 percent.  I support Governor Nixon’s request and respectfully ask that the waiver of the cost share be considered and approved as soon as possible. 

Thank you again for your assistance throughout this process and I respectfully request your prompt consideration of this request.