JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Missouri’s chief executive has created a group dedicated to looking at short-, medium-, and long-term flood recovery.
On Thursday, Gov. Mike Parson signed Executive Order 19-14, establishing Missouri’s Flood Recovery Advisory Working Group. Members will provide input of flood recovery priorities and give feedback on the state’s current levee system with suggested changes to benefit Missouri and its citizens.
“Missouri has been plagued by record-level flooding this year. More than 80 levees have overtopped or breached, ” Parson said in a statement. “The impact of flooding on our citizens and communities has been devastating, costing millions of dollars in property damage. This working group will play a key role in establishing Missouri’s path forward to rebuilding infrastructure, revitalizing damaged farm ground, and refocusing our flood-control priorities.”
“Coordination among stakeholders is critical in allocating funds strategically,” he continued. “We need their input as we consider the allocation of state resources and options for levee recovery and improvements.”
The executive order comes the same day that Scott Fitzpatrick, state treasurer, announced a new linked deposit program to help with recovery.
The working group will identify areas where attention is needed and provide input on priorities for allocation of state funding as Missouri recovers from this year’s flooding. In addition to addressing short-term repairs to levees, the group will also explore options to improve the conveyance of floodwater through Missouri’s major rivers.
Members of the Flood Recovery Advisory Working Group include the Departments of Natural Resources, Agriculture, Economic Development, Transportation, and the State Emergency Management Agency. Representatives from the Missouri Levee and Drainage District Association, Missouri Farm Bureau, Missouri Corn Growers Association, and Missouri Soybean Association are members as well.
The Coalition to Protect the Missouri River, the Missouri and Associated Rivers Coalition, local government, and others will also be represented.
The executive order directs the working group to submit an initial report to the governor with findings and suggestions by December 31, 2019, with a final report due May 31, 2020.
Alisha Shurr was a reporter for The Missouri Times and The Missouri Times Magazine. She joined The Missouri Times in January 2018 after working as a copy editor for her hometown newspaper in Southern Oregon. Alisha is a graduate of Kansas State University.
