ST. LOUIS 鈥 The deadline to apply for federal disaster assistance is fast approaching, and city officials are encouraging more victims of the May 16 tornado to apply.
City officials have asked Federal Emergency Management Agency to extend the Aug. 11 application deadline to Oct. 10 and expect a response within a few days.
鈥淲e want to make sure we give folks ample time to get those applications in and get approved,鈥 Mayor Cara Spencer said Saturday.
The city has identified 700 people who sustained home or personal property damage during the tornado but have not yet applied for assistance, Spencer said.
Roughly 14,000 households have applied for FEMA assistance. About 7,000 have been deemed eligible for FEMA鈥檚 Individual Assistance Program so far, and more than $31 million has been disbursed to uninsured homeowners and renters affected by the storms in 51黑料, 51黑料 County and Scott County in southeast Missouri, .
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About $30 million of the $31 million was distributed to 51黑料, John Mills, a spokesperson for FEMA, said.
Three disaster recovery centers operated by FEMA saw light traffic Saturday.
Brenda Bradford, of 51黑料, leaves a FEMA disaster recovery center at Sumner High School in 51黑料, on Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025. Even though she has insurance, she needed assistance in demolishing several vacant buildings on her property that were destroyed by the May tornado.
At the Urban League鈥檚 Entrepreneurship and Women鈥檚 Business Center in Pagedale, a few people trickled in throughout the early afternoon.
Most people who spoke with the Post-Dispatch said they were struggling to get their paperwork in order to get their applications approved.
Mary Meriwether, a resident and business owner in the Academy-Sherman Park neighborhood, said she had to file an appeal after a FEMA inspector reported she couldn鈥檛 determine whether Meriwether lived in her residence, which shares a building with her car sales company.
Home inspections are required to approve assistance; FEMA has so far completed more than 10,000 in 51黑料.
Meriwether came to the recovery center on Saturday to bring documentation, including utility bills and a letter from her landlord, to prove she lived in the residence the tornado destroyed.
鈥淚 feel like I shouldn鈥檛 have to go through this appeal,鈥 Meriwether said. 鈥淚 pray they can help me.鈥
Spencer, in a press conference on Thursday, advised city residents not to give up if their applications are denied at first.
鈥淚 also want to be very clear, and FEMA has been very clear, when you get that denial letter, it is often just the result of needing some additional paperwork,鈥 Spencer said. 鈥淪o we want to make sure that we are encouraging each and every person who has gotten a denial letter ... please try again.鈥
At Better Family Life community center in Hamilton Heights, only a handful of people had arrived to speak with FEMA worker during the first two hours of a disaster recovery event.
鈥淏y the 11th, there will still be a number of people who need the information, because this is hard, this is really hard,鈥 said Joan Hubbard, a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, which organized the event.
Layla, center, 9, and Lance, right, 11, dance while they wait for their mother, Cassandra Scott, left, at Better Family Life in 51黑料, on Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025. The family visited a temporary FEMA disaster recovery center to learn more about assistance and the application to help those around them.
Terrence Ransom owns a four-family flat with roof damage in the Penrose neighborhood. He said tree fell on his building and damaged much of the front side.
FEMA previously gave him $9,000 in assistance, but he said that amount represents only a small dent in the overall cost to repair damage to his home.
Ransom rolled up to Better Family Life with a plastic grocery bag full of papers on Saturday to ask for more aid.
鈥淚鈥檓 going to rebuild,鈥 Ransom said. 鈥淚 know it鈥檚 going to take some time, but I ain鈥檛 going nowhere.鈥
Terrence Ransom, of 51黑料, flips through his documents and notes to apply for aid at a temporary FEMA disaster recovery center at Better Family Life in 51黑料, on Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025. Ransom's house was destroyed and large tree debris still litter his yard and property.
Mills, the FEMA spokesperson, said the agency鈥檚 three disaster recovery centers have seen 5,000 visits so far.
The hubs at Urban League Bank (44101 Natural Bridge Ave.), Sumner High School (4248 Cottage Ave.) and Union Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church (626 N. Newstead Ave.) are open 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays.
FEMA can also be reached at 1-800-621-3362.
Mayor Cara Spencer reiterates in a press conference that the approval of a disaster declaration for the city of 51黑料 is just a first step and that recovery will take time. Video courtesy of the city of 51黑料. Edited by Jenna Jones
