Governor Kehoe Requests Federal Disaster Declaration for Nine Missouri Counties Following Historic July Flooding

Jefferson City, Mo. (KFMO) - Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe has formally requested that President Donald J. Trump approve a major federal disaster declaration to assist communities devastated by the historic flash flooding and severe storms that struck the state July 9 through 11, 2026.

The request marks Missouri's third federal disaster declaration request of 2026 and includes Bollinger, Crawford, Iron, Madison, Morgan, Reynolds, Ripley, Washington and Wayne counties.

If approved, the declaration would make FEMA's Public Assistance Program available to local governments and eligible nonprofit organizations. The funding would help pay for repairs to damaged roads, bridges and other public infrastructure, while also reimbursing emergency response expenses and debris removal costs.

Governor Kehoe said the scale of destruction has placed an extraordinary burden on local governments.

"As communities impacted by recent flash flooding continue to move forward with recovery efforts, I want to once again thank all who have stepped up to support their neighbors," Governor Kehoe said. "The damage has overwhelmed local communities, placing a tremendous burden on them that far exceeds their capacity to recover without federal assistance."

Kehoe highlighted the extensive damage sustained in Iron County, where preliminary estimates exceeded $19.7 million. Missouri's statewide threshold required to qualify for federal public assistance is $11.9 million, illustrating how severely the hardest-hit communities were impacted.

Joint preliminary damage assessments conducted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) and local officials estimated more than $26.5 million in emergency response costs and damage to public infrastructure across the nine affected counties.

Recovery efforts continue throughout southeastern Missouri. On July 24 and 25, a Multi-Agency Resource Center held in Centerville connected 144 families, including 232 adults and 39 children, with emergency supplies, services and recovery assistance provided by volunteers, faith-based organizations and state and local agencies.

The White House will now review Missouri's request to determine whether federal disaster assistance will be approved. If granted, the declaration would provide additional resources to help communities continue rebuilding from one of the state's most destructive flooding events in recent history.