FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, September 1, 2005
Contact: Jessica Robinson, (573) 751-0290
Blunt Names Sidwell as Hurricane Relief Coordinator
JEFFERSON CITY—Gov. Matt Blunt announced Adjutant General King E. Sidwell will serve as Missouri’s Hurricane Relief Coordinator.
"Several state agencies are receiving both requests for assistance and offers to help," Blunt said. "To centralize Missouri’s response and ensure resources are applied as effectively as possible, I have asked Adjutant General Sidwell to coordinate our state’s response to this tragic disaster."
General Sidwell will direct and work closely with the State Emergency Management Agency to carry out Missouri’s response to requests and provide assistance to the recovery efforts.
The governor has pledged any support Missouri can provide to those states suffering from this severe, devastating storm. Through executive orders, he has authorized the use of the Missouri National Guard to provide support to the region. Aircraft, supplies and more than 1000 guard members are already headed for Louisiana and Mississippi. The governor also directed the Department of Transportation to waive regulatory permits for commercial motor carriers involved in the relief efforts and asked Attorney General Jay Nixon to investigate potential price gouging on gasoline in response to the hurricane.
In addition to the governor’s actions, the Federal Emergency Management Agency activated and deployed the Missouri Task Force 1 Urban Search and Rescue (Boone County) and the Missouri 1 Disaster Medical Assistance Team (St. Louis). Missouri hospitals are caring for patients transported from impacted areas and countless Missouri businesses have donated goods, food, time and personnel to help with the relief efforts.
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