FEMA's Missouri Tornado Sustainable Recovery Initiative Aids Stockton And Pierce City After Devastating May Tornadoes
Release Date: August 11, 2003
Release Number: FNF-03-09
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 Artist rendering of proposed City Hall for Pierce City. FEMA News.  Draft design for a redeveloped Stockton city park. FEMA News Photo. |
Springfield, MO -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Missouri State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) have established the Missouri Tornado Sustainable Recovery Initiative to assist in the recovery of Pierce City and Stockton, Missouri. The tornadoes that hit the state in early May devastated the two cities.
"When I visited Pierce City and Stockton two days after the tornado, it was immediately apparent that these two communities would have tremendous needs," said Dick Hainje, regional director for FEMA Region VII. "We started planning for a more extensive recovery project in the first days after the tornado."
FEMA mission-assigned the U.S. Economic Development Agency to complete a rapid economic assessment of 10 tornado-damaged communities - three in Kansas and seven in Missouri. The assessments looked at the disaster impact to residential, business and public facilities. The report, completed June 25, identified Pierce City and Stockton as the most severely impacted communities of the 10.
The Sustainable Recovery Initiative has three major components:
- developing Comprehensive Recovery Plans for both Pierce City and Stockton;
- providing a local recovery manager for one year in each community to provide guidance and expertise to the mayor, work with state and federal agencies on grant applications, and oversee and manage major infrastructure projects;
- encouraging intergovernmental cooperation in streamlining delivery of federal and state resources for the recovery of Pierce City and Stockton.
The Comprehensive Recovery Plan achieves a single objective: identify projects that significantly support and promote revitalization of the community. The Plans will provide each community with three options for every rebuilding issue: Basic, provides minimum acceptable function or level of service; Replacement, restore facility or service to pre-disaster functionality; Progressive, improvements to pre-disaster condition in order to stimulate enhanced economic activity and to accommodate planned growth.
Two teams of eight to ten technical specialists (engineers, architects, planners, economic development experts) have worked in the cities since early July developing draft Comprehensive Recovery Plans. FEMA tasked teams to identify issues and potential solutions in conjunction with community leaders and the general public.
FEMA unveiled drafts of the Comprehensive Recovery Plans for each this week. On August 5, approximately 250 Pierce City residents attended the public meeting to view architectural renderings; nearly 300 residents of Stockton attended the August 7 meeting.
FEMA has hired a local recovery manager to work with Stockton for one year. Fred May, currently the Director of Planning and Development for the City of Springfield, was introduced to residents at the August 7 meeting. May, a professional city planner with more than 25 years in local government, will provide guidance and expertise to the mayor of Stockton; work with state and federal agencies on grant applications; and oversee and manage major infrastructure projects.
Last Modified: Wednesday, 10-Sep-2003 10:29:20