City of Joplin works on questions regarding property management after tornado

(From the City of Joplin)

As the City of Joplin continues to work with FEMA in the debris management of the May 22nd disaster, residents have been responsive to the information already distributed to them.


“We are impressed with the amount of debris that is already lining our neighborhood curbs and rights-of-way,” said City Manager Mark Rohr. “And, this is because we have residents who have listened to the initial information we’ve given them. They are working very hard to clean their areas. In addition, we have seen thousands of volunteers come into the area to help our community. We truly appreciate everyone’s work in the recovery effort.”

Rohr further commented that volunteers’ work is being targeted to storm debris areas outside of the extensive and catastrophic areas identified by FEMA.

During this clean-up effort, City officials also recognize the dilemma some property owners have regarding the possibility of demolition of their homes versus debris clean-up only. At Friday’s press conference, Rohr discussed the problems with the Right-of-Entry form as it relates to the insurance coverage involved in demolition and debris removal. To alleviate this confusion, the City has been conducting a series of meetings and conference calls with the Insurance Commission, FEMA representatives and other insurance carriers to determine the final piece of the debris management puzzle that outlines the Expedited Debris Removal initiative.

“This is a very challenging process in getting this specific issue addressed,” said Rohr. “We appreciate the patience of our citizens, and we hope to have more information for them very soon. Our goal is to have a resolution on how specific insurance language affects the property owners in respect to their needs for property clean up and debris removal. It is complicated, and we hope to have some clarification for our citizens soon.”

Rohr also noted that meetings are continuing over the weekend in anticipation of posting helpful information at the beginning of the week through press conferences, news releases and the City’s website.