Family looking to build generational wealth in O’Fallon Park sees home devastated by tornado

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) - For the thousands of families building generational wealth through homeownership, last Friday’s tornado dealt a devastating blow to their dreams.

In the O’Fallon Park neighborhood, James and Veronica Tate were looking to give their daughter and her family a forever home.

“We’ve lived here since the ‘90s and we’ve seen a lot, but we invest in our neighborhood in the hopes that it shows our kids and grandkids that you’re worth having something like a beautiful historic house.”

The Tates purchased a house from a sheriff’s sale in 2022 and spent the last several years gutting it, installing new water lines, plumbing, electrical and other fixtures. The home boasts three bedrooms and two and a half baths, with Veronica Tate keeping her grandchildren in mind as future owners.

“I wanted to make sure they’d have their own bathrooms down the line,” she laughed.

The pair was days away from having new windows installed and a city inspector out to the house to do his final inspection prior to issuing an occupancy permit. Without it, they said their insurance company told them the house could not be insured.

“Then, Friday was like a nightmare,” said James Tate.

They received a phone call from a neighbor telling them a tree had fallen in the yard. Having been at the home hours before, they didn’t think much of it.

When they made their way to the back of the house, James said his wife broke down into tears.

“The entire back wall is gone, you can see straight in,” he said. “The roof being gone too, allowed all the rain water into the house and through the ceilings, so everything from floor to ceiling is wet.”

Without insurance, the couple said they’re out tens of thousands of dollars they have invested in the project.

Their daughter and their two grandsons are scheduled to return to the area this fall, after her husband completes a military deployment.

“When they come back here, they can afford a nice car payment and pay for school and won’t have to worry about rent or a house payment,” said Veronica Tate. “That was our primary goal. It was taken away from us in a matter of seconds.”

They remain hopeful state or federal aid will help them salvage the house, if possible. Otherwise, they hope to get back what they put into it.

“I hope the best, but I’m expecting the worst because with the damage done back there,” said James Tate. “There’s a possibility they probably will condemn it.”

Having lived in the neighborhood for 30 years, the couple is invested in bettering their block, they said. Over the last few years, neighbors would often stop by to thank them for their work in fixing up the house.

“It helps build up the neighborhood, push out bad things and make good things happen, and they see people building and think they can do anything if you set your mind to it,” said Veronica Tate.

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