Gov. Jay Nixon has asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Farm Service Agency (FSA) to conduct damage assessment reports for all 114 Missouri counties and the City of St. Louis to determine the extent of damage to crops and livestock because of the excessive heat and severe drought conditions persisting throughout the state.

"The heat and drought will likely cause crop yields to decrease and livestock to be under greater stress," Gov. Nixon said. "This year, many Missouri farmers have undergone a number of hardships caused by weather conditions. Timely damage assessments by the Farm Service Agency will help those farmers who have been affected recover more quickly."

The Governor's request for damage assessments is the first step in the process of declaring counties as primary disaster areas.

BUTLER COUNTY, MO (KFVS) - The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services has a list of local cooling centeres available.

The Butler County cooling centers include:

• Poplar Bluff Senior Center - Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. (573-686-2074) 1450 Garfield St., Poplar Bluff, Mo.
• Williamsville Senior Center - Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. (573-998-2544) Route 1 Highway 49, Williamsville, Mo.
• Qulin Senior Center - Monday through Friday form 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. (573-328-1818) State Route 7 and Fifth Street, Qulin, Mo.

For more information, the department has an intereactive map of cooling centers available online.

Copyright 2011 KFVS. All rights reserved.  

BUTLER COUNTY, MO (KFVS) - The Missouri Department of Transportation announced Wednesday that Route HH will be closed for pipe replacement on Tuesday, August 9.

The road will be closed between County Road 331 and County Road 257.

Weather permitting, crews will be working from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Copyright 2011 KFVS. All rights reserved.