Kinder to Head New Missouri Disaster Response Panel

Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder will lead a newly formed state committee reviewing Missouri’s disaster recovery efforts and preparedness for future challenges.

The committee was created by Republican House Speaker Steven Tilley. It also includes lawmakers, a Joplin city council member, an official from a health care company and a Jasper County official.

Kinder, a Republican, says the committee will check whether the resources poured into disaster recovery are getting the expected result. Last year, Missouri faced flooding along the Missouri and Mississippi rivers and tornadoes in Joplin, Sedalia and St. Louis.

House and Senate leaders also created committees last year to examine the state’s disaster response.