Joseph Hof
Mar 17, 2025
The firm recognizes that any offer of assistance from those directly impacted in the St. Louis area could help bridge a gap and help ensure that decision makers at all levels have access to the data they need
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Greater St. Louis Metropolitan Area, Missouri - March 17, 2025 – In response to the catastrophic tornadoes that struck the Greater St. Louis metropolitan area on Friday, March 14, 2025, Hof Law has reached out to FEMA Region 7 to offer assistance in providing damage assessment data and information, should it be needed. The devastating storms, which included an EF-2 tornado, have resulted in extensive destruction, the tragic loss of twelve Missourians, and widespread power outages affecting approximately 19,000 to 25,000 Missourians, according to varying open source media reports.
Given the significant impact on the region—including damage to government infrastructure, residential and commercial properties, and essential services—accurate and timely preliminary damage assessments are critical. Under 44 C.F.R. 206.33, preliminary damage assessments inform FEMA’s Regional Validation and Recommendation process, which is essential in supporting the Governor’s request for a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration. Since Kansas City is geographically distinct from the St. Louis region, there could be a natural delay in the speed of information reaching Federal authorities. Hof Law recognizes that any offer of assistance from those directly impacted in the St. Louis area could help bridge such a gap and help ensure that decision-makers at all levels have access to the data they need.
“The fact that the City of Florissant has been forced to cancel its St. Patrick’s Day festivities due to extensive damage speaks volumes about the severity of this disaster,” said Joseph Hof, Managing Attorney of Hof Law. “However, we all know that symbolic indicators are not enough to secure Federal aid. Additionally, what seems as obvious to folks impacted by the disaster, are far from obvious thousands of miles away. Further, folks of the area have had all weekend to start to pick up after the storm, meaning that there is less to be able to assess this week. The precision and thoroughness of the assessment data collected today and tomorrow will directly impact whether folks in the St. Louis area receive the support that may be needed under a Presidentially-declared disaster.”
Hof Law also believes that the situation in the St. Louis area could warrant contemplation of triggering of the provisions of 44 C.F.R. 206.33(d), which provide a mechanism to streamline the major disaster declaration process under certain conditions.
“It is not an expedited major disaster declaration request, which may not fly for a variety of reasons,” Hof explained, “but it is a way to streamline the process and piggyback off each other’s damage assessments when joint damage assessments—using both local and Federal teams—can be logistically challenging. That could very well be the case here, where the damage is geographically disbursed and distinct, both within FEMA Region 7’s jurisdictional area of responsibility, and given the great number of impacted municipal governments of Saint Louis County, and also given the fact that FEMA Region 7, with most of its workforce, is located across the State in Kansas City."
Hof Law stands ready to assist in ensuring that FEMA Region 7 has access to relevant, real-time information from the field. If additional assessment data is required, the firm is prepared to facilitate its collection and transmission today or tomorrow at the latest. If not, Hof Law trusts that government leaders at all levels are equipped with the necessary information to steward disaster relief efforts effectively.
“Our goal was merely to transmit an offer to help to those we know are dealing with a situation where it can often, no matter what, feel as if there is not enough resources to gather data and information,” Hof continued. “If there is any way we can help, we are standing by.”
For further information or media inquiries, please contact:
Joseph Hof
Hof Law
Image credit: USA Today, March 16, 2025
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