Tornado

St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer’s office said FEMA is providing a lump sum and will cover 75% of eligible debris removal costs, with the state covering the remaining 25%.

In the wake of the May 16 tornado, applications for demolition permits on private property doubled. Property owners are making tough decisions to raze their homes, and whether to stay or leave the city.

Residents can apply to join five different community-led planning committees, which is being launched through the PlanSTL Neighborhood Planning Program. The deadline to apply is Oct. 13.

Residents want the city to move faster to disperse $30 million in Rams settlement interest for tornado relief, as others say FEMA didn’t provide enough money to cover repairs.

The city says the money from interest collected on the Rams settlement will fund stepped-up debris removal over the next four to eight weeks and focus on different neighborhoods each week.

Kea Point Solutions, founded by a project manager who worked on the National Geospatial Agency campus project, said it sees opportunity in tornado-impacted areas.

It’s been nearly four months since an EF3 tornado ripped through parts of St. Louis. Community members stepped in where the city didn’t to help clean up the rubble, and some volunteers are still getting calls to remove that lingering debris in north St. Louis.

About 70 teachers and staff members from the Clayton School District had a day of service on Friday in the Academy neighborhood where some students and staff reside. The neighborhood was badly damaged during the May 16 tornado.

St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer said the city was left to respond to the tornado alone because of “turmoil at the national level.”

The deadline to apply for FEMA funds for damage sustained in the May 16 tornado is 11:59 p.m. Tuesday. St. Louisans can apply in person, online, by phone or on FEMA’s app.