Committee Near Drafting Disaster Report

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Intro:	Devastating tornadoes and massive flooding have left Missouri ravaged after the summer. Representatvies from state departments that responded to the disasters met with lawmakers to discuss the next plan of action.
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Wrap: From one corner of the state to another, Missourians have felt the wrath of mother nature this summer.

Public Safety Deputy Director Andrea Spiller told lawmakers Tuesday that flooding in Northwest and Southeast Missouri and tornadoes in Joplin, St. Louis, and Sedalia have kept responders busy.

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Description: "Since April 22, when the tornado hit St. Louis, we have - as a state - essentially been in disaster mode."

Spiller and other department heads met with a special House Committee on disaster recovery to help them give recommendations to the legislature on how the state can aid in the rebuilding process.

Chairman of the Committee, Willard Republican Shane Schoeller, says with Northwest Missouri still underwater, the committee has a lot of work to do before the deadline on December 31.

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

Intro:	For months, parts of Northwest Missouri have been underwater. One lawmaker informed a special committee it will be several more months before they can even think about rebuilding.
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Wrap: Roads, crops, homes, tourism, and revenue have all been destroyed in Holt and Atchison Counties.

And Republican Representative Mike Thomson from Maryville says there's a long road to much improvement.

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Description: "So we are in a dire situation and not a lot of avenues right now."

Thomson gave other members of the special committee on disaster recovery an update on the situation in Northwest Missouri at a hearing Tuesday.

For more than three months 230,000 acres of farm land, homes, and major roads like Interstate 29 have been engulfed by the Missouri River flood waters.

The committee will give recommendations to the legislature on how the state can aid in the rebuilding process by the end of the year.

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

Intro:	Insurance payouts are now more than one billion dollars for the tornado that hit Joplin on May 22, Missouri Insurance Department head tells lawmakers.
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Wrap: And that number may double before it's all said and done.

Missouri Insurance Department Director John Huff gave the update to lawmakers during a hearing of the special committee on disaster recovery.

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Description: "This is data from September 1. That's 100 days post event - about $10 million a day."

Huff says those numbers are from preliminary reports and he expects the final report to be around two billion dollars in payouts.

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