KANSAS CITY - St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer said five people died, 38 were injured and more than 5,000 homes were affected by an EF3 tornado with winds up to 150 mph (240 kph) that slammed areas north and west of downtown Friday.
Spencer has estimated that damages will exceed $1.6 billion.
“Eight miles of pure destruction, at times a mile wide," Spencer said at a Monday news conference. “We’re talking about thousands of buildings, thousands of families are being displaced.”
Spencer said during a news conference Monday evening that emergency protocols put in place in 2021 were not followed, possibly preventing sirens being activated to warn residents about the tornado.
She said it was not clear whose responsibility it was to let the community know about the emergency but that the fire department will do so moving forward.
The city is awaiting a disaster declaration from the governor’s office as a first step to getting federal assistance.
U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican, expressed frustration over the federal response to a deadly March storm. “I’m not happy about the fact we’re still waiting from all of that damage two months ago," Hawley said.
Acting Federal Emergency Management Agency Chief David Richardson said last week he plans to shift responsibility for disaster recovery to states this year as part of an agencywide transformation and that FEMA would coordinate federal assistance “when deemed necessary.”