Governor Greitens Proclamation to City of Malden

On Thursday, May 24, Missouri Governor Eric Greitens presented the City of Malden with a Proclamation for it’s relentless efforts in recovering and rebuilding after the February 24th, 2018 EF2 tornado devastated the south end of the City.

Greitens spoke about how the Mayor, the Council, residents, as well as neighboring cities came together to help friends, family and brothers and sisters in need.

The City of Malden welcomes Missouri Governor Eric Greitens as he presents the City of Malden with a Proclamation Thursday at the Community Center in Malden. Pictured are, from the left: Mayor Denton Kooyman, councilmen Howard Jones and Kevin Moore, Gov. Greitens, and councilwomen Dianna Rogers and Karen Haley, and councilman Nick House.Photo provided

Shortly after the February 24th tornado, Governor Greitens did a walk through, along side Mayor Denton Kooyman, Police Chief Jarrett Bullock, local, state and county law enforcement officials, to talk with residents who were dealing with the storm’s aftermath.

At that time, Gov. Greitens said he saw a town whose resilience was strong, a town who was not divided, and a sense of pride amongst citizens who were willing to do anything and everything to get their City back up and running, leaving no one displaced.

“When a tornado struck Southeast Missouri, we told the rest of the state about a resilient community that remained unbroken in the face of danger and damage,” said Governor Greitens during his visit earlier this year. “We wanted the residents to know that we’re still with them, helping to rebuild and repair what you’ve lost. We want the state to know that the people of Malden are tough, and we know they’ll rebuild and rise up twice as strong.”

During that time, the Delta Regional Authority approved $75,000 in funding which was used to help Malden rebuild their municipal electric system including electric poles and cables, labor, equipment, and purchase of a backup generator.

In addition, the Bootheel Regional Planning Commission worked with the city to submit an Emergency Community Development Block Grant application through which the Missouri Department of Economic Development approved $79,250. This funding assistance helped with debris removal and the initial electrical line repair.

The Proclamation to to honor the support of several organizations on every level, as well as, individuals, businesses and organizations who came together to help this City recover on very little funding.

The Proclamation mentioned how this hard-working beautiful community sustained more than 2-million dollars in damage and how the first responders, police, fire, local officials and neighbors came together to bring this City back together.