A devastating EF-3 tornado tore a 23-mile path of destruction through the St. Louis region one year ago May 16. The massive mile-wide storm claimed five lives, injured 38 others and caused an estimated $1.6 billion in damage to the city. 

The supercell thunderstorm produced peak winds of 152 miles per hour. It damaged or destroyed more than 5,000 buildings as it moved from Clayton into North St. Louis and across the Mississippi River. 

The city’s outdoor warning sirens failed to sound during the storm because the emergency management staff responsible for pressing the buttons were attending an off-site workshop on climate change. In response to this failure, the St. Louis City Fire Department took over the responsibility for triggering the tornado sirens. 

Local and state leaders are moving forward with the massive recovery effort to help affected residents get back on their feet. 

Rep. Wesley Bell, D-Missouri, introduced the Tornado Preparedness Act on Friday to establish a national plan to modernize warning systems and fund community storm shelters in high-risk areas. 

Gov. Mike Kehoe and St. Louis City Mayor Cara Spencer recently announced the start of state and federally funded demolition of structurally compromised properties. The state-managed program will safely remove up to 65 structures to clear the path for rebuilding. 

Both city and state demolition programs are fully active, with combined funding to support more than 470 demolitions in the tornado zone. Officials said more than 70% of those structures were already vacant or condemned prior to the tornado. 

The state and federal recovery effort totals more than $350 million. 

U.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Missouri, helped secure the federal Private Property Debris Removal mission. He and the Missouri delegation originally urged the federal government to approve the mission to unlock unmatched staff, expertise, capacity and equipment. 

“I’m proud to see progress in St. Louis’ recovery efforts continuing to move forward following last year’s devastating tornado,” Schmitt said. “While there’s still a long road ahead, this progress marks a meaningful step forward in getting St. Louisans back on their feet.” 

Kehoe praised the unified response to the disaster. 

“From the moment the deadly tornado touched down, the State of Missouri’s assistance to St. Louis has matched the spirit of the residents who rallied to support neighbors and rebuild in the aftermath of the tragic loss of life and tremendous adversity,” the governor said.

The St. Louis Recorder of Deeds Office helped residents replace lost vital documents such as birth certificates and property deeds in the immediate aftermath of the storm.  

“We understand many in our community lost not just their homes, but also the documents they need to rebuild their lives,” Recorder Michael Butler said in a statement. “I continued to direct my staff to be diligent and compassionate in providing these documents, so no one is denied the help they deserve.” 

Despite these ongoing efforts, the pace of recovery has frustrated some in the community. Demonstrators recently interrupted Spencer’s first State of the City address, protesting city leaders must do more to help the most vulnerable tornado survivors. 

Kehoe specifically thanked her, stating, “On behalf of my office and our state agencies, I want to thank Mayor Spencer and city partners, as well as Missouri’s federal delegation and FEMA for their continued efforts to make St. Louis whole again, and even better than before.” 

“I want to thank Governor Kehoe and Mayor Spencer for their leadership in the face of this travesty, and I look forward to continuing our partnership to help St. Louisans moving forward,” Schmitt echoed.

Rams settlement funds targeted for recovery 

Spencer and the Board of Aldermen introduced a bill appropriating $230 million of the city’s Rams settlement funds. The money comes from the 2021 settlement agreement with the NFL and Rams owner Stan Kroenke over the football team’s departure, of which the city received a $250 million share of the $790 million pot. 

The proposal dedicates $110 million to North St. Louis and tornado recovery, aiming to rebuild neighborhoods hit hard by the storm and “decades of disinvestment.” The legislation specifically allocates $70 million to repair housing damaged by the tornado. 

The bill also allocates $65 million for citywide infrastructure improvements and $55 million for downtown revitalization.