HERMANN – Gasconade County officials are hoping Gov. Mike Kehoe’s action Thursday will clear the way for nearly three dozen counties seeking help with financing road repairs caused by June storm damage.

For several weeks county officials have worked with representatives of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) regarding possible financial assistance in covering the cost of emergency repairs to county roads damaged by heavy rains in recent months. The county has met the necessary initial expenses to qualify to apply for federal assistance, as has the state as a whole. Nearly three dozen of Missouri’s 114 counties are included in the governor’s request to the White House for a presidential disaster declaration.

That declaration is key to the counties receiving federal dollars, passed down through SEMA, to help local governments recoup costs of the emergency repairs.

In Gasconade County, regular maintenance of the county’s 400-plus miles of county roads essentially has been put on hold the past couple months while Road Department crews responded to make emergency repairs because of heavy rains and spot flooding.

Southern District Associate Commissioner Ron Hardecke, R-Owensville, in particularly, has been closely involved in keeping SEMA and FEMA field representatives aware of the work being done by the county to make emergency repairs. In recent days, Hardecke and county Emergency Management Director Clyde Zelch accompanied SEMA and FEMA representatives on a tour of repair sites in the county.

That first-hand exposure could provide crucial in the county obtaining federal funds.

“They took a lot of pictures,” said Zelch of the state and federal staffers. The formal request for funding must be made through the county’s Emergency Management Agency.

In addition to Gasconade, other counties covered by Kehoe’s request include Adair, Andrew, Callaway, Candem, Cape Girardeau, Dade, Daviess, Gentry, Grundy, Harrison, Hickory, Holt, Jasper, Knox, Lewis, Linn, Macon, Marion, Mercer, Miller, Moniteau, Morgan, Newton, Nodaway, Osage, Polk, Putnam, Scott, Shelby, Sullivan, Vernon, Webster and Worth.

The official estimate of damage to local infrastructure is $32.2 million and covers damage received in the period of June 4-18.