It’s been 2½ months since an EF3 tornado ripped through St. Louis, and some residents say the city is dragging its feet in releasing an allocated $18 million in Rams funds for recovery efforts.
“Mayor Spencer, before she was elected, said the city is flush with cash,” said Christopher Gladney, of Ward 11, during a Board of Aldermen Budget and Public Employees Committee meeting Wednesday night. “Where's the money? People are tired of waiting. People are tired.”
Julian Nicks, the mayor's chief recovery, provided a timeline Wednesday night at City Hall about when the accrued Rams interest will be released:
● Phase 0 (already launched): $2.1 million goes to resource hub operations for the distribution of supplies and equipment.
● Phase 1 (launches in early August): $5.75 million will go toward emergency grant support for nonprofits serving the community.
● Phase 2 (launches by end of August): $9.15 million will go toward disaster care management, legal services support and mental health and wellness, and some home repair.
● Phase 3 (launches by end of September): $1 million to go toward unmet needs program.
Nicks said beginning next Monday, nonprofits serving residents will be able to apply for up to $3.75 million in emergency grant support.
Mayor Cara Spencer announced earlier this month that in addition to Rams interest, another $1.2 million from Community Development Block Grants will also go toward the efforts.
There’s $30 million in accrued Rams interest for tornado relief, and the remaining $12 million will likely be used for intermediate housing, intermediate private property debris removal and Recovery Office staffing, Nicks said Wednesday.
But that hasn’t been made official yet.
“This is ridiculous,” Gladney said. “It's unacceptable. If the city believes that everybody in St. Louis deserves to have the best, then I believe that the city should put its money where its mouth is.”
Some residents said the city has neglected to follow through with debris removal as promised.
Ali Rand, of the 9th Ward, said she attended a town hall a month ago and asked for help with cleaning up the Academy neighborhood.
“On July 10, there was a press release and a statement saying this emergency stabilization program was rolled out, and there would be $19.2 million in funds, and $2 million of that would be for debris removal," Rand said. "The press release said there would be a grid-by-grid approach with this third-party company called Sparta, starting in the most north corner of the tornado path, and working its way backwards.”
After 73 days, she said she hasn’t seen any debris removal in Academy by the city.
“We work tirelessly to help our neighbors, to help these residents,” Rand added. “But we cannot bring children home, we cannot bring families home until this debris is cleaned out.”
Some people might leave St. Louis altogether, said Kayla Reed, executive director of Action St. Louis.
She said many who were displaced by the storm are still sleeping outside and businesses continue to suffer.
“As long as we do not have a housing plan, we will lose population, which then really guts the limited infrastructure that north city had pre-tornado, and doesn't create opportunities for residents to come back and be a part of the rebuild or the recovery,” Reed said during Wednesday’s meeting.
She suggested monthly updates from city leaders to the public on utilization of the Rams fund, noting that the fund will continue to accrue interest and could further be used for recovery efforts.
Other residents said some are struggling to fill out online applications for assistance because they don’t have electricity or internet access.
As the meeting in downtown St. Louis came to a close, Ward 9 Alderman Michael Browning acknowledged residents' concerns, stating the city is doing what it can right now.
“The federal government abandoned this city,” Browning said. “The city did not have a plan for an EF3 tornado tearing through the city for several miles. No city has a plan for that. But we are trying to put together a plan and we want to do it with you, because we’re not going to build back these communities without you.”
