JEFFERSON CITY (AP) - Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon says the federal government as agreed to pay a greater-than-usual share of the cleanup costs from a deadly tornado that struck Joplin.
He says the federal government will cover 90 percent of the expedited debris removal from areas that received extensive damage. That's the same proportion the federal government is paying for deadly tornadoes that hit Alabama last month.
Typically, the federal government pays 75 percent of cost of responding to disasters, with state and local governments picking up the rest.
Nixon has directed the Missouri National Guard to lead the cleanup effort in Joplin. He says the 90 percent federal aid will be a great assistance.
U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt, of Missouri, had asked the federal government to pay the full cost.