Public price tag for St. Louis floods tops $87 million, officials say

St. Louis Post-Dispatch (MO)

Aug. 2—UNIVERSITY CITY — Flash flooding caused an estimated $87.8 million in public costs and damage — from swamped fire engines to storm sewer cleanouts — last week in the St. Louis region.

Several hundred homes were also severely damaged in St. Louis city and county, plus St. Charles and Montgomery counties, according to State Emergency Management Agency spokeswoman Caty Luebbert. The agency didn't have an estimate in dollars for the value of that damage.

The federal government hopes to get money to residents "extremely quickly" after assessing damage from last week's flash flooding, said Andrea Spillars, a senior Federal Emergency Management Agency official representing Missouri and other parts of the Midwest.

"We know that people are hurting. They're in need," Spillars said at a news conference Monday in University City.

Officials didn't provide a timeline for when residents may apply for assistance. They said they hoped to finish the administrative work this week.

Assessors from the federal government were in the St. Louis region this week to verify what damage was eligible for assistance.

Once they have an idea of the total damage, Gov. Mike Parson will request money from the federal government by asking for an emergency disaster declaration. Parson said he hopes to submit the request to FEMA on Wednesday. It then goes to President Joe Biden.

"We assume that will be approved," Parson said.

Once a disaster declaration is approved, federal emergency officials will open a disaster recovery center where people can find assistance in applying for aid onsite.

"Assuming that we get the federal disaster declaration, our goal is to have a disaster recovery center within days," Spillars said. "We will be back onsite to make sure that we've opened up a facility where people can actually come to us and show us their loss and register to be eligible for individual assistance."

More than 9 inches of rain slammed the region on July 26, with most of it falling within three hours. Drivers were stranded in rapidly rising waters as roads became rivers, and the floods swept through homes and businesses. Two days later, a second round of heavy storms dumped up to 4 inches of water, bringing another wave of flash floods.

Unlike tornado damage, home insurance won't cover flood damage in many instances, Luebbert said, potentially making damage eligible for assistance from the federal government. Federal money can't be used to help people whose damage is covered by insurance or assistance programs.

There's no deadline for reporting damage. Residents and business owners may continue to contact United Way at 2-1-1 or 1-800-427-4626, to report damages, or contact their local elected officials, said Ann Vastmans, a spokeswoman for the St. Louis County Office of Emergency Management.

They may also visit 211helps.org to fill out a form to report damage and find resources for relief.

United Way acts as a clearinghouse for damage reports. They send the reports to city and county officials, who send them on to the state. The state then shares damage reports with federal officials.

If residents have questions about flood insurance, they may contact the Insurance Consumer Hotline at 1-800-726-7390.

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