Cerise Johnson was in her third-floor apartment at Alumnus Gardens in the Ville when last Friday’s tornado touched down in the St. Louis region.
She was going about her day as normal when things quickly changed.
“I didn’t have to shelter, I couldn’t even get out my house,” Johnson, 51, said. “I was just getting out the tub, and I was (about to) walk to my bedroom, and it just came through my window and lifted me up. I had to grab onto the wall and pull myself into the bathroom.”
The ceiling looked like it was breathing, she said, as it moved up and down and the building violently shook. Johnson said she closed her eyes and braced for impact. The roof of the building was eventually ripped off by the strong winds, though other parts of the building weren’t as impacted.
“When I opened my eyes, my refrigerator was in front of my bathroom,” Johnson said. “I said that must have been God protecting me, because my kitchen is nowhere near my bathroom. So I don’t know how it turned corners and was straight into the bathroom door, and a mattress in front of it.”
Johnson is one of dozens of people staying at the Greater St. Louis chapter of the American Red Cross shelter at the 12th & Park Recreation Center located at 1410 S. Tucker Blvd.
She and the majority of people in her apartment building were displaced by the tornado that touched down in Clayton on May 16 and tore a path through St. Louis.
Roughly 5,000 buildings in the St. Louis area were impacted by what the National Weather Service confirmed as an EF3 tornado, with wind speeds estimated to be between 136 mph and 165 mph.
“I ain’t staying on the top floor no more,” Johnson said. She and others from her apartment building said their landlord is placing them in a hotel later this week until building repairs are completed, which could take months.
The American Red Cross is currently operating three shelters in the city after closing a fourth shelter at Grace United Methodist Church at 6199 Waterman Blvd. due to a water main break.
All are welcome
Sharon Watson, a spokeswoman for the American Red Cross, said that while some people call and are referred to the shelters, individuals are allowed to walk in and receive assistance.
As of Wednesday evening, Watson said there were about 163 displaced people across the three shelters, with just over 80 people staying at the 12th and Park location — the largest of the shelters.
And there are about 114 beds set up there this week, according to shelter supervisor Ellen Embry.
The other two shelters are located at Refresh Community Church, at 829 N. Hanley Road, and Friendly Temple Outreach Center, at 6356 Dr. Martin Luther King Dr.
It's been six days since the storm, and none of the shelters have reached capacity yet, so there’s still space, Watson said.
The number of people staying in the shelters at any given time fluctuates as people come and go. Watson said they don’t plan on turning people away as they’re discussing potentially opening other locations near impacted parts of the city.
“The primary focus for the Red Cross right now is to make sure that people do have a safe place to stay in our shelters,” Watson said. “If people have pets, they’re welcome to bring them to our shelters. We find that they’re helpful to everybody because everybody loves to pet animals, and it helps to calm people.”
People are receiving three meals a day as well as snacks throughout the day. They’re allowed to come and simply charge their phones or have a meal and leave if they don’t want to stay overnight at the shelter, Watson said.
“We encourage people to consider that, especially as we know power is out still in some places and some people’s homes are just not in a good condition to stay in, unfortunately,” she said.
Texas Roadhouse brought food on Wednesday, and other organizations donated food from local restaurants. Watson said they’ve also worked with restaurants like St. Louis Bread Co. in the past.
Through a partnership with grocery retailer Schnucks, they also receive nonperishable food items and bottled water that are provided to shelter residents and community members.
Steven Reason, 48, of north St. Louis, was staying at the 12th and Park location on Tuesday after he was displaced by the storm. He commended the American Red Cross for its help.
He said one of the first things he did when the storm first hit was start praying.
“It’s sickening to say that something that tragic made our community come together as it did,” Reason said. “I was just thinking like, God, please just let this be over as soon as possible.”
Watson said they also have local and state partners, like United Way, that work with people individually to help meet their housing needs and determine next steps beyond staying at the shelters.
Transportation to shelters
As many are displaced around St. Louis, some may have trouble getting to and from shelters. Watson said that to help alleviate this problem, the Red Cross is working with the city to have a bus parked at 8 every night at the Save-a-Lot on Natural Bridge Avenue that takes people to the shelters.
“If they want to come back to their home the next morning, we will bring them back,” Watson said. “We'll arrange for them to come back. We know some people need to do other things during the day and may need to get back to that location.”
