WASHINGTON  -  U.S. Representative Jo Ann Emerson (MO-08) today toured the Bootheel region ravaged by a tornado, visiting Deering, Braggadocio and Caruthersville.

 

“The devastation is remarkable and very sad.  My immediate reaction is to wonder how people survived when their homes were literally flattened on top of them,” Emerson said.  “I went to the Gulf Coast immediately after Hurricane Katrina.  This is just as bad, if not worse, compared to what I saw there.  We have an urgent need for a swift response from the federal government in addition to the swift response we are getting already from the state and local authorities.”

 

In Caruthersville, Emerson visited the Emergency Operations Center before touring damaged areas with FEMA, Missouri State Emergency Management Agency officials and Caruthersville Mayor Diane Sayre.  An estimated 200 Caruthersville homes were destroyed by the tornado, with an additional 250 experiencing major damage.

 

“It is going to take a lot of people, working together and working hard, to restore these
communities.  We can do it.  Everyone is pulling together, and I am so proud of the good citizens and surrounding counties that are lending a hand when their neighbors really need some help,” Emerson said.

 

Monday evening, Emerson spoke with Acting Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, David Paulison.  She requested FEMA move quickly to provide the State of Missouri with any resources needed to respond and rebuild following the storms.

 

Today, Emerson signed a letter with U.S. Senators Kit Bond and Jim Talent asking President Bush to allow residents in ten Missouri counties to receive emergency disaster aid.  The letter supports Governor Matt Blunt’s similar request, which was made yesterday.