SPRINGFIELD–Gov. Matt Blunt today traveled to Southwest Missouri and met with Missouri National Guard (MONG) members he activated to help keep Missourians safe following the winter ice storms.

“From the first warning signs of severe weather, we have been pro-active to ensure Missouri was prepared to coordinate our emergency response,” Blunt said. “Our ongoing efforts to keep Missourians safe and stay ahead of potential threats have helped ensure an efficient response to the ice storms. As many Missouri families and communities work to recover I encourage all Missourians to continue reaching out and helping their neighbors during this difficult time.”

Blunt mobilized the guard over the weekend to provide needed assistance. Guard members helped transport generators, went door-to-door in affected areas to check on the well being of their fellow Missourians, and have distributed food, water and blankets. In addition, they are also assisting with debris removal.

The governor has been in constant communication with the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) since last week before the ice storms swept through the state. At Blunt's direction:

** The MONG has more than 500 soldiers on duty performing various missions.

** The Missouri State Water Patrol is assisting with health and welfare checks in Dallas and Hickory Counties.

** The Division of Fire Safety is working requests for fire mutual aid and Incident Management Teams as needed.

** OA has delivered more than 150 generators and 11 pallets of Meals-Ready-to-Eat to impacted areas.

** Department of Health and Senior Services is working on power restoration and checking for special needs population health issues.

** Department of Social Services is helping staff shelters where needed.

** Department of Corrections is assisting with transportation of donated goods and equipment to impacted areas.

Missouri’s Citizen-Soldiers continue to support local civil authorities with power generation, clearing the road for emergency services response calls, and door-to-door checks in Southwest Missouri. Over the weekend, the Missouri National Guard had approximately 100 Citizen-Soldiers supporting local authorities in St. Charles. Those assets utilized in the St. Charles area have been reassigned to Central and Southwest Missouri.