President Donald Trump signed a major disaster declaration for the deadly May 16 tornado that ripped through the St. Louis region.
The move Monday evening opens up millions of dollars in Federal Emergency Management Agency programs that could help people rebuild their homes, find temporary housing and replace destroyed vehicles.
Gov. Mike Kehoe sent the major disaster declaration request for individual assistance on May 25. The governor and several members of the Missouri congressional delegation confirmed that Trump signed the declaration.
“I appreciate President Trump for calling me personally this evening to notify us that he has approved Missouri's request for a major disaster declaration in response to the May 16 severe storms and tornadoes,” Kehoe said on X. “Missourians are grateful for the President's leadership.”
St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer said she was relieved that Trump had approved the request.
And while she didn’t have the full details on how much money the city will receive from the federal government, Spencer said it’s the first significant movement in providing federal relief for St. Louis. She said the storm may have caused up to $2 billion in damage in the city alone.
“This is the first step in really unlocking federal assistance through FEMA that our community so badly needs,” Spencer said. “No city can shoulder the burden of a natural disaster the size of the tornado that hit us on May 16 alone. It is absolutely impossible to do that without the assistance of FEMA.”
Other Missouri officials echoed Spencer’s relief. U.S. Rep. Wesley Bell, D-St. Louis County, whose district bore most of the tornado’s impact, said in a statement that the “major disaster declaration unlocks critical federal aid to help them rebuild — and having been out there with our neighbors, I can tell you firsthand it's desperately needed.”
“St. Louis is a strong, resilient community,” said Bell. “This support will help us come back even stronger.”
Missouri U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley also thanked Trump. “Much, much needed,” the GOP senator wrote on X.
U.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Missouri, said the disaster aid “will help eastern Missouri communities hit by last month's devastating storms start to get back on their feet.”
U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner, R-Ballwin, said the “St. Louis region was hit incredibly hard and this disaster assistance is going directly to ensure our community can rebuild stronger and better than before.”
“I appreciate President Trump and his team for working with us so our officials on the state and local level have the resources they need,” Wagner said. “I spoke with people on the ground when I saw the damage firsthand and I know how helpful this aid will be to our friends and neighbors.”
Trump decision opens up aid programs
Kehoe’s request is for individual assistance, which with Trump’s signature opens up key FEMA programs such as:
- Rental assistance for people who were displaced from their homes.
- Reimbursements for people staying at hotels or motels.
- Home repair or home replacement.
- Child care-related expenses.
- Medical or dental bills stemming from the tornado.
- Personal property replacement, such as for home furnishings or computers.
- Transportation repair or replacement if a vehicle was damaged or destroyed.
While FEMA is not meant to make disaster victims financially whole or be a substitute for homeowners insurance, it can provide much more money to individual recovery efforts than any state or local program. For fiscal 2025, the maximum FEMA payout is $43,600 for housing assistance and $43,600 for other needs.
Since Trump took office, FEMA lost hundreds of employees – making some question whether getting aid to people who need it will be a smooth process. Spencer said that the city will likely play a major role in educating people on how to apply for assistance.
“We're going to be required to play an active role, and we are positioning ourselves to be ready to play that active role,” Spencer said.
It’s typically taken anywhere from six to eight weeks from when a disaster happens to when a president approves a governor’s disaster declaration request. But there is precedent for quicker action. In 2022, President Joe Biden approved aid to flood victims in the St. Louis region about two weeks after that disaster struck.
Trump approved Kentucky’s disaster declaration request six days after the same weather system that hit St. Louis killed over a dozen people in that state.
"I'd be ecstatic to have President Trump here to see, feel, to understand the destruction that we've had, to see the personal impact,” Spencer said. “And I would welcome the opportunity to take him on a tour myself.”
Kehoe still needs to submit a major disaster declaration request for public assistance, which would reimburse state and local governments for costs related to responding to and recovering from the May 16 tornado.
This story has been updated with reaction from officials.
