Missouri Will Spend More than $15 Million on Natural Disasters This Year

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Intro:	The state of Missouri has spent 15 million dollars so far this year on natural disasters. And the state budget director says that will rise in the coming months.
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Wrap: The federal government still hasn't told the state how much it will owe for FEMA's help cleaning up debris left behind by the Joplin tornado. And state budget director Linda Luebbering says the 15 million dollars is a low figure and doesn't know how much the state will ultimately pay for disaster relief.

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Description: "Our obligation is much higher than that, we just don't know what it is yet."

Luebbering says all of the 15 million dollars spent so far has come out of the state's general revenue fund and it's too early to consider tapping into the state's rainy day fund.

Reporting from the state Capitol, I'm Matt Evans.

Intro:	Natural disasters have cost the state of Missouri 15 million dollars and the state budget director says that tab is still going up.
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Wrap: The state still hasn't received a bill from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. State budget director Linda Luebbering says the federal government will foot FEMA's bill up front, but the state will get billed for it later. And she still doesn't know how much that will be.

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Description: "We really don't have firm number yet. Obviously it's going to be a much bigger financial commitment than a typical year for the state of Missouri."

Luebbering says that all of the 15 million dollars spent so far has come out of the general fund and it's too early to consider tapping into the state's rainy day fund.

Reporting from the state Capitol, I'm Matt Evans.

Intro:	15 million dollars is the tab the state of Missouri has paid so far for natural disaster relief. The state budget director says the state will ultimately pay even more for the disasters like the deadly tornado in Joplin.
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Wrap: The state still owes the federal government for it's share of FEMA's help in clearing debris in Joplin. State budget director Linda Luebbering says she's not sure how much the state will end up paying. She also says she's unsure how the state will balance the budget.

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Description: "We've already done some expenditure restrictions. We announced those in June. That was for a combination of reasons including revenue concerns. Where we end up ultimately is not yet determined."

Luebbering says that all of the 15 million dollars spent so far has come out of the state's general fund and it's too early to consider tapping into the state's rainy day fund.

Reporting from Jefferson City, I'm Matt Evans.