Hawley tours north St. Louis storm damage, demands FEMA action

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) - Missouri U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley toured some of the hardest-hit areas of north St. Louis City on Monday, getting his first look at the extensive damage left by Friday’s deadly tornadoes and severe storms.

As residents begin the long process of recovery, many are asking a pressing question: Where is FEMA?

Following his tour, Hawley addressed the media and said he is in communication with Gov. Mike Kehoe, who is leading the state’s emergency response efforts.

“The governor has the state running point,” Hawley said. “He wants FEMA to assist. I’ll leave that to him, but I will say FEMA has a lot of resources, and we want to see all of them deployed here. We want to see assistance come in full to this area. I will be a dog on a bone with that.”

Hawley said he is pushing the White House to expedite Kehoe’s request for a federal disaster declaration. Once approved, Hawley said he will advocate directly to President Trump for quick action.

FEMA funding in question

The visit comes amid renewed debate over possible cuts to FEMA funding. When asked by First Alert 4 whether he s those proposed reductions, Hawley said the focus should be on what gets results.

“Missouri taxpayers have paid in and funded FEMA and the federal government,” he said. “We do that and have a disaster budget. So we want to see everything we are eligible for—all the assistance this community is eligible for. By golly, we want it as soon as possible.”

Hawley added, “If the White House or whoever has a plan to reorganize FEMA or set it up differently—fine by me, so long as we get the relief we need. If it means we don’t get the relief we need, I’m opposed to it. This is the Show-Me State. My attitude is: show me the disaster recovery efforts. If we can do that with a different organization, I don’t care. I just want us to get the relief we need and these homes rebuilt.”

Long wait for help

Some residents affected by a separate March 14 tornado are still waiting on federal assistance. Hawley said the delays are unacceptable.

“We cannot wait months,” he said. “I’m not happy about the fact that we are still waiting on that damage from two months ago. We lost 12 then, seven (statewide) here. The scope of the damage is immense, seven lives is horrible to lose. We need FEMA to move quickly—very quickly—and that is my message to the president.”

Local voices call for ability

State Rep. Steve Butz said the moment calls for visible leadership across all levels of government—and for holding elected officials able.

“I’m very skeptical of it,” Butz said. “All you hear out of the Trump istration is how we’re going to cut FEMA funding, and we don’t need FEMA funding. I’m like—come up to this part of St. Louis. This is why we need that type of federal response. We are 48 hours into this, and I’m like—where is the federal government?”

“This type of response is not what people expect from their government when there is a true emergency,” he added.

FEMA teams on the way

Gov. Kehoe said he has formally requested a federal emergency declaration from President Trump. If approved, the declaration would provide up to $5 million in immediate funding for Missouri.

He confirmed FEMA teams will begin surveying the damage across the region to assess eligibility for further federal assistance, Wednesday, this process is required for a major disaster declaration, which could provide reimbursements for emergency response and direct aid to individuals and households.

A list of resources from Hawley’s office can be found by clicking here.

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