Mission: St. Louis Response to May Tornado

On May 16, a deadly tornado hit St. Louis City, leaving behind thousands of destroyed homes and businesses, along with much uncertainty about where to turn to for help. North St. Louis City was among the hardest-hit areas with entire roofs of multigenerational homes blown off, large trees down on properties and residents left without power for days. In an area that is already economically vulnerable, the tornado’s impact was worsened.  

Beverly, a local resident, had invested her retirement funds into starting her barbershop school business. In an instant, the barbershop was destroyed by the tornado and with it, the life savings she put into it.  

“For me, it was devastating,” Beverly said when asked about the tornado’s impact on her. 

In the aftermath of the storm, our team at Mission: St. Louis mobilized. We created a form where people could sign up to receive help because we felt that it was important to go directly to those impacted. We then coordinated volunteers to distribute resources, hot meals and remove debris in impacted neighborhoods. Among those reached was Beverly. A group of volunteers brought her supplies, cleared debris and took out trash from the storm that cluttered her shop. 

For Beverly, seeing and living the impacts of the tornado was depressing, yet she was also proud to see people coming out in the ways that they were. 

“The community overall is doing a great job of getting out and trying to help others,” Beverly said. “I’m really proud to be a citizen of St. Louis City.” 

Together, we showed up for our neighbors and plan to continue showing up as the emergency fades. You can keep showing up for the St. Louis community by supporting our relief fund. Please visit https://www.missionstl.org/relief to show your support today.