St. Louis is getting more financial aid to remove debris from the May tornado.
Gov. Mike Kehoe and St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer announced Thursday that the Federal Emergency Management Agency will be providing additional funding for clearing debris from private properties.
The funding will be in the form of an initial lump sum. U.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Missouri, said the initial payment is $63 million to “jump-start the project.”
Schmitt said that amount comes after FEMA’s assessment of properties that were destroyed and in need of removal.
Schmitt, who sent a letter to acting FEMA Administrator David Richardson in August requesting debris removal assistance, said he was glad to see the approval.
“This will unlock rapidly deployed federal funding and assistance to strengthen state and local efforts to remove debris, protect public health and safety, and support St. Louis’ full recovery,” Schmitt said.
Schmitt’s office said FEMA’s total estimate for debris removal is at least $180 million.
FEMA will also cover 75% of “eligible debris removal costs,” with the state covering the remaining 25%.
Spencer said on Thursday that the lump sum will be in conjunction with the $100 million in state funding that the Missouri General Assembly allocated for tornado relief in June.
It is not yet known what the $100 million will specifically go toward or how much of that state money will be spent on this particular effort.
Spencer said the assistance announced Thursday will go toward large debris removal that “has been unachievable for many residents.”
“This is an enormous task, one that residents have been unable to take on themselves, and one that is so large that the city could not handle on its own as well. And so we're looking forward to the partnership here on this,” Spencer said.
Kehoe’s office said the state and city will lead the private property debris removal mission. The next steps, according to the office, include the state hiring a contractor to complete the work, as well as the city obtaining rights of entry from owners before debris can be removed from eligible properties.
FEMA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will support the effort with on-the-ground technical assistance and oversight, according to Spencer.
“Our office has been proud to work closely with Sen. Eric Schmitt, alongside the rest of Missouri’s federal delegation, and Mayor Spencer to ensure St. Louis can move forward and expedite its recovery,” Kehoe said.
Spencer said the city does not have a confirmed date for when this work will begin, but is “confident that we're going to be able to move much more quickly than we have been.”
The mayor also said there is an estimated million tonnage of debris on properties. There is also not a current timeline for how long this process will take.
“We've been working on this for months. The last several weeks have been a real sprint on this, and so while we're really excited to make this announcement today, we do not have all the details as of yet, that will be forthcoming,” Spencer said.
This story has been updated with comments from U.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Missouri, and St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer.
