Recent tornadoes and severe storms have reportedly caused seven fatalities and over $1.5 billion in damages in Missouri. Sen. Josh Hawley visited the hardest-hit areas in North St. Louis City and called for immediate assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Hawley emphasized the importance of federal aid in supporting recovery efforts in the aftermath of the disaster.
Trump’s administration has proposed shifting disaster response responsibilities to states. FEMA is reportedly undergoing significant changes. This has fueled concerns about delayed or denied aid.
Rolling Stone: GOP Senator Begs for Disaster Aid as FEMA Snubs Another Red State
Several conservative states have been forced to wait for disaster relief, with lawmakers publicly groveling for federal assistance
Senators grilled Homeland Security Secretary Kristi [Bimbo #2] Noem today over her management of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and how the agency — which President Donald Trump has sought to dismantle — is responding to a series of devastating storms across the southern United States.
During a hearing of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) asked [Bimbo #2] Noem what she would do about pending federal disaster declaration requests for the state of Missouri — which has been wracked by a series of deadly tornadoes — that have not been approved by the president. Mississippi, which is still recovering from extreme weather events in March, is also waiting for approval on months-old disaster relief declarations.
“The state has pending three requests for major disaster declarations from earlier storms we’ve lost over a dozen people. Well, actually, if you count the folks we lost just on Friday, we’ve lost almost 20 people now in major storms just in the last two months in Missouri,” Hawley said.
“Will you commit to helping, for those three major disaster declaration requests that are pending, will you expedite those, Secretary [Bimbo #2] Noem, and get those in front of the president, get those approved?” Hawley asked. “We are desperate for the assistance in Missouri.”
The response from Kristi [Bimbo #2] Noem was more of the customary lip service:
[Bimbo #2] Noem replied that she would make sure the applications were put before Trump as soon as possible, and agreed to expedite individual assistance for qualified Missourians impacted by the recent storms.
