ST. LOUIS – Missouri U.S. Senators Josh Hawley and Eric Schmitt sent a letter to President Donald Trump on Wednesday, urging swift approval of an emergency declaration request following last week’s deadly tornado in St. Louis.
Hawley and Schmitt asked for “immediate consideration and approval” of Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe’s formal request for a federal emergency declaration, filed in response to the May 16 tornado in St. Louis that killed five and damaged 5,000 homes.
If approved, the declaration would direct federal assistance and provide up to $5 million in immediate federal funding for the state to prioritize emergency protective measures and debris removal.
“After touring the devastated neighborhoods, we can personally attest to the scale of the damage and the clear need for the governor’s request to unlock this first step of federal assistance to support first responder efforts,” the letter reads.
In addition to this, crews from FEMA have arrived in St. Louis as of Wednesday to evaluate storm damage, an essential step in the city’s pursuit of a significant federal disaster relief package. City officials have estimated $1 billion in damages from Friday’s tornado.