Sen. Holly Rehder applauds Parson's call for federal tornado help

State Sen. Holly Thompson Rehder of Scott City (R-27) said Wednesday she is "thankful" for Gov. Mike Parson's call this week for a federal disaster declaration following the Dec. 10 tornadoes that swept across six states, including seven counties in Southeast Missouri: Bollinger, Dunklin, Iron, Madison, Pemiscot, Reynolds and Wayne.

Rehder represents three of the impacted counties at the state capital -- Bollinger, Madison and Wayne.

Holly Thompson Rehder

"I'm thankful the governor is working fast to get them the resources they need for our communities. Southeast Missouri people turned out to help their neighbors immediately, and we have such excellent emergency management folks across our district. I can never brag on our corner of the state enough. The federal help is definitely needed," Rehder said in a text.

"Our local, state and federal assessment teams have documented extensive damage to electric power systems and other public infrastructure as a result of the severe storms," Parson said in a statement released by his office late Tuesday. "Federal disaster assistance will be necessary to complete the permanent repair work and alleviate the burden of the costly damage experienced in these hard-hit communities."

If Parson's request is approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), local governments and qualifying not-for-profit agencies may seek federal assistance for reimbursement of emergency response and recovery costs, including repair and replacement money for damaged buildings, bridges, roads and other public infrastructure.

Parson's office said preliminary damage assessments estimate a total of $27 million in damage to public infrastructure and emergency response costs.