EXECUTIVE ORDER
05-23

WHEREAS, the recent advance of Hurricane Katrina across the Gulf of Mexico, its landfall near Gulf Shores, Alabama, and its continuing movement across the southern United States have caused numerous tornadoes, high winds, extreme tidal surges, extremely heavy thunderstorms, torrential rains, and flooding across many areas within the States of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana; and

WHEREAS, this severe natural disaster has already resulted in extensive economic and human damage across the American states which surround the Gulf of Mexico, including, as of the time of this Executive Order , the loss of 68 lives, the pervasive destruction of private and public property in excess of millions of dollars, the widespread interruption of electrical power to approximately 1.3 million public utility customers across the affected states, and the evacuation and temporary relocation of persons from the coastal regions to inland destinations, which will eventually require the return of these displaced persons to their places of origin; and

WHEREAS, the extreme weather conditions caused by Hurricane Katrina threaten to continue and to extend these destructive impacts across increasing areas of the southeastern United States, as the hurricane moves inland; and

WHEREAS, these extreme weather conditions, and the resulting destruction of property, interruption of essential human services, and potential dangers to and loss of human life, now require and will continue to require a massive public and private response to provide immediate, emergency assistance and continuing emergency relief to individual persons, businesses, and federal, state and local governmental units in need of transportation for food, supplies, tools, equipment, medicine, public and private health care, law enforcement, security services, public utility services, sanitation and waste disposal, cleanup of debris, property restoration and reconstruction, and other necessities, which threatens to overload the available transportation systems to, from, and within these affected states; and

WHEREAS, the President of the United States of America and the Governor of one of these affected states have currently recognized the existence of an emergency within the meaning of Section 390.23 of Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations, as a result of these severe weather conditions, which poses a threat to the public safety and health of persons residing within these affected states, in that:

1. The President of the United States of America has issued a National Declaration of Emergency for the States of Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi, thereby authorizing exemptions from Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Parts 390 -399.
2. The Governor of the State of Florida has issued multiple, successive Executive Orders declaring the existence of a state of emergency in the State of Florida; and

WHEREAS, the safety and welfare of the inhabitants of the affected states of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi require that operators of commercial motor carriers upon the public highways within Missouri, who are rendering assistance to the emergency efforts within the affected states, should be allowed more rapid and efficient travel to meet this emergency need for transportation of passengers and property; and

WHEREAS, this requirement for more rapid and efficient transportation would be facilitated by the temporary suspension of certain usual and necessary regulatory requirements for the drivers of commercial motor vehicles, while they are transporting property and passengers to assist in the relief efforts.

NOW THEREFORE, I, MATT BLUNT, GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the State of Missouri, hereby declare that I acknowledge the existence of a regional state of emergency, within the meaning of Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations, Section 390.23(a)(1), within the States of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi, as a result of the severe weather conditions described above; and

FURTHER, I direct that the commercial motor vehicle regulatory requirements regarding the purchase of trip permits for registration and fuel for commercial motor carriers engaged in interstate disaster relief efforts in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana or Mississippi, shall be waived; and

FURTHER, I direct that the issuance of overdimension and overweight permits by the Missouri Department of Transportation for commercial motor carriers engaged in interstate disaster relief efforts in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana or Mississippi, shall be subject to the following interim application requirements in obtaining such a permit:

• The permittee will be required to supply:
  • Year, Make and License plate number of the power unit and trailer;
  • Size, Make and Serial Number (last 4 digits) of commodity being hauled;
  • Origin, Destination and Consecutive Routing;
  • Overall Width, Height, Length and length of trailer and load only; and
  • Date of Movement.
• The permit process can be expedited by calling:
  • 800-877-8499
  • 573-526-5314; or
  • 573-526-5312.

However, this Executive Order shall not suspend the applicability of the standard permit fee requirements; and

FURTHER, I direct that the effective date of this Executive Order shall begin on August 30, 2005, and shall continue in effect until the expiration date as set forth in the National Declaration of Emergency issued by the President of the United States of America, and the expiration dates of any emergency declarations issued by the governors of the states of Florida, Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana, or October 25, 2005 at 12:01 AM, whichever earlier occurs.

ATTEST:

.pdf version