St. Louis Volunteers Raise $1 Million to Rebuild 35 Homes as Tornado Recovery Stalls
Updated
Updated · stlpr.org · May 13
St. Louis Volunteers Raise $1 Million to Rebuild 35 Homes as Tornado Recovery Stalls
2 articles · Updated · stlpr.org · May 13
Nearly a year after the May 16 tornado, volunteers in St. Louis’ Academy neighborhood are still leading weekend cleanup and rebuilding, supporting 35 to 40 families after government recovery efforts failed to take hold.
More than $1 million in donations and hundreds of volunteers have kept the work going, with Catholic Charities now helping manage funds and some casework as residents rebuild homes across the storm zone.
At least one displaced resident has already moved back, two more are expected soon, Larry Powell hopes to return in June, and Monet Beatty is scheduled to reenter her home by the end of May.
Residents say city action moved at a “glacial pace,” citing delayed demolitions, looting of damaged homes and repeated broken promises, while Mayor Cara Spencer has blamed FEMA reimbursement changes for slowing recovery.
The May 16 tornado killed at least four people, injured about 30 and caused $1.6 billion in damage, but it also drew volunteers from both sides of St. Louis’ Delmar Divide into a long-running “neighbors helping neighbors” effort.
St. Louis volunteers raised $1 million while the city struggled. Is this the future of American disaster response?
A presidential report recommends overhauling FEMA. Could these reforms have prevented the slow recovery seen in St. Louis?
The city created a new recovery office that delayed aid. Was this a catastrophic error or a necessary step toward reform?