JEFFERSON CITY - Gov. Jay Nixon today requested from President Barack Obama an emergency declaration for the entire state of Missouri to assist local jurisdictions and the state with the cost of responding to the record snowfall that affected almost the entire state, beginning on Jan. 31.
"This week's blizzard and severe winter storm hit with a fury, depositing up to 21 inches of snow, forcing the closure of almost the entire length of Interstate 70 and a significant portion of Interstate 44, and burdening local jurisdictions and the state with tremendous response costs," said Gov. Nixon. "I am asking the President to issue an emergency declaration to assist with some of the costs of this historic statewide response."
Gov. Nixon's request for an emergency declaration is for all 114 Missouri counties and the city of St. Louis. Many communities received record or near-record snowfall totals, and they continue to dig out from the largest statewide snowfall in a generation. The declaration would enable the state and local governments to seek reimbursement for some of their costs in responding to the storm to protect public health and safety.
On Jan. 31, Gov. Nixon declared a state of emergency, which activated the State Emergency Operations Center and allowed state agencies to assist local jurisdictions with their emergency preparation and response. The same day, the Governor also activated 600 Citizen-Soldiers and Airmen of the Missouri National Guard to support local emergency agencies. The Guard continues to assist communities across the state and the State Emergency Operations Center continues to operate 24 hours a day to aid local communities with resource requests.
Visit Governor Jay Nixon's web site here
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