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Initial assessments total $25 million in flood damage and response; costs could rise.

Mindy Ward, Editor, Missouri Ruralist

April 30, 2019

2 Min Read
Missouri River flooding in Atchison County, Mo.
FLOODED OUT: In Atchison County, there were 14 levee breaches sending Missouri River water onto farms and into rural communities and small businesses in early March. Office of Missouri Governor

Initial assessments of the 2019 flood in Missouri total $25 million in damage to the state’s infrastructure and emergency response costs. Missouri Gov. Mike Parson is calling on President Donald Trump to declare 13 counties a disaster.

The joint preliminary damage assessments — conducted by the Missouri State Emergency Management Agency, Federal Emergency Management Agency and local officials — determined these counties were devastated by the flood and need federal assistance. But the assessment process is not over as it does not include all the damage to farms and ranches.

“It has now been well over a month after the flooding began, and some areas still can’t be accessed,” Parson said in a news release. Interstate 29 remains closed from the Missouri-Iowa border to the U.S. Route 71 intersection north of St. Joseph. Traffic is detoured and may remain that way into the summer months.

Floodwaters from the Missouri River inundated the northwestern region of the state in early March. Persistent rains in the upper Mississippi River basin also caused flooding in the southeast.

Gov. Mike Parson flew over areas flooded by Missouri River

AERIAL ASSESSMENT: Missouri Gov. Mike Parson flew over farmland and rural communities to assess the damage of the 2019 Missouri River flooding in March. Early damage estimates reach into the millions.

Parson is requesting public assistance for 13 Missouri counties, so local governments and qualifying nonprofit agencies may seek federal assistance for reimbursement of emergency response and recovery costs, including repair and replacement costs for damaged roads, bridges and other public infrastructure.

The counties include Andrew, Atchison, Buchanan, Carroll, Chariton, Holt, Mississippi, New Madrid, Pemiscot, Perry, Platte, Ray and Ste. Genevieve.

Parson also is asking for individual assistance for five Missouri counties — Andrew, Atchison, Buchanan, Holt and Platte so residents can seek federal assistance with temporary housing, housing repairs, replacement of damaged belongings, vehicles and other qualifying expenses.

The governor praised local, state and federal agencies, along with faith-based volunteers who continue to help with recovery efforts. “Our state team and all our partners are committed to ensuring Missouri families, businesses and communities rebuild,” he added.

Farmers needing help with questions surrounding the flood can visit the following websites for information:

About the Author(s)

Mindy Ward

Editor, Missouri Ruralist

Mindy resides on a small farm just outside of Holstein, Mo, about 80 miles southwest of St. Louis.

After graduating from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural journalism, she worked briefly at a public relations firm in Kansas City. Her husband’s career led the couple north to Minnesota.

There, she reported on large-scale production of corn, soybeans, sugar beets, and dairy, as well as, biofuels for The Land. After 10 years, the couple returned to Missouri and she began covering agriculture in the Show-Me State.

“In all my 15 years of writing about agriculture, I have found some of the most progressive thinkers are farmers,” she says. “They are constantly searching for ways to do more with less, improve their land and leave their legacy to the next generation.”

Mindy and her husband, Stacy, together with their daughters, Elisa and Cassidy, operate Showtime Farms in southern Warren County. The family spends a great deal of time caring for and showing Dorset, Oxford and crossbred sheep.

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