City leaders and FEMA explain next steps for people impacted by May 16 tornado

ST. LOUIS (First Alert 4) - It’s been almost a month since the tornado devastated parts of the city. FEMA is boots on the ground in St. Louis working to meet the needs of people in the community.

FEMA said more manpower is expected in the coming days. Hundreds of people have already applied for help from FEMA, and the easiest option is to apply online at disasterassistance.gov.

Residents can also reach FEMA over the phone by calling 1-800-621-3362.

When applying, Willie Nunn with FEMA said words matter, so be as clear as possible about the damage to your home or apartment, as well as your belongings.

Applicants also need to make it clear they are requesting help from the May 16 tornado. FEMA said Missouri has six disasters declared by the president.

This federal help comes as President Donald Trump announced he wants to wean states off the federal assistance.

“I would be untruthful if I tell you it doesn’t affect staff. It affects staff. It affects morale. But I can also tell you we have people in FEMA working for the mission. Helping people before, during and after the disasters,” Nunn said.

If you have insurance, you need to tell FEMA what isn’t being covered by your insurance.

Nunn said applicants need to include their name, information and an address they can currently receive mail at.

After you apply for FEMA assistance, FEMA will you, and a home inspection will be required in the following days.

Mayor Cara spencer said without this federal help it would be devastating.

“We have exhausted ourselves, our city workforce. The nonprofits, the community organizations are exhausted. We’ve been holding this disaster here locally with the help of our state partners. With having FEMA here on the ground with that direct assistance to get into short and long-term housing is so very needed,” Mayor Spencer said.

Mayor Spencer said the turnaround for that immediate assistance and relocation assistance should take days, not months.

At the disaster resource center at Chaifetz on Wednesday, there were even more community looking for help than Tuesday.

David Pruitt said his apartment on Delmar and Euclid had the roof blown off.

“Everything. I lost everything. The only thing I have on now is from what I’ve been getting from the Red Cross,” Pruitt said.

Pruitt said all of his belongings were ruined. He was able to go back inside and grab his ID and wallet.

“Walls fell in. TV on the walls fell off. Couches and stuff were turned over. So I couldn’t take anything. The apartment totally flooded. Every floor,” Pruitt said.

Pruitt came to Chaifetz for help after applying for FEMA aid online. For the last several weeks he’s been staying in Red Cross shelters and said he knows he’ll be starting over from scratch.

“I wanna say it’s been bad but I’ve been keeping my faith up and the Red Cross has been fabulous,” Pruitt said.

The Small Business istration is working to set up a business recovery center. Loans for homeowners can be given out up to $500,000. Loans can also be given for up to $100,000 to replace personal property. For business owners, they can apply for loans up to $2 million to cover damages, as well as economic loss.

FEMA said it plans to set up a call center in St. Louis to help clarify the needs from the city, state and federal level.

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