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BY VICTORIA CRAIG

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Pounded by Hurricane Irene over the weekend, emergency officials estimate the nation’s eastern seaboard suffered billions of dollars in damage.

So who foots that bill? Here’s KNTV.

“We don’t have hard estimates yet, but the estimates so far look like about seven billion dollars in damage. Keeping in mind about two billion of that will be covered by private insurance companies, but that leaves five billion dollars for states and for the federal government to come up with, states that are already cash-strapped, already dealing with budget problems.”

Those billions of dollars have  to come from somewhere, and it seems that somewhere is Joplin, a small town in Missouri nearly leveled by a tornado in May. The Washington Post reports.

“With less than $1 billion currently available for federal disaster assistance, [FEMA] is temporarily suspending payments to rebuild roads, schools, and other structures destroyed during spring tornados in Joplin, Mo. and southern states...”

FEMA says though it doesn’t want to reroute that money from the midwest to the east-- it comes down to priorities-- and Irene victims need immediate assistance.

But a reporter for St. Louis based KSDK explains, that explanation isn’t sitting well with some Joplin residents.

“But FEMA may put permanent projects like repairing roads and buildings on hold...Back in Joplin, residents say the town has come a long way in the past 3 months, but there's still a lot that needs to be done.  This news of delayed FEMA money isn't sitting well with some. ‘We still have a lot of clean up here,’ resident Eric Hutchison said.  ‘I feel like they made us that promise.  They should stick to their word.’"

And some argue-- FEMA should have enough money to cover both disasters. KTTS has the word from Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill.

“McCaskill says FEMA should be ready for all types of disasters and have the resources to respond rapidly until all work is done.”

Obama will likely need to request additional funding from Congress soon. That money may come in the form of spending cuts, or passing an annual Homeland Security spending measure that would allocate another $1 billion for disaster funds this year.

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