ST. LOUIS — The Missouri National Guard is sending dozens of people from its 35th Engineer Brigade to tornado-damaged city neighborhoods to help with recovery logistics and cleanup from the deadly May 16 tornado, officials announced Saturday.
As many as 41 Guard members will work at four sites in the city, beginning Wednesday, according to a statement from Gov. Mike Kehoe, who approved the request for help from ӣƵ Mayor Cara Spencer.
“This is purely humanitarian,” Spencer said at a news conference Saturday afternoon. Guard members will not be providing security, she said.
Thousands of buildings — mostly homes — were damaged or destroyed, and five people killed in the mile-wide tornado.
Power turned off in red-tag buildings
The city has asked that Ameren disconnect power going to buildings inspectors have determined are unsafe, she said at a press conference in north ӣƵ Saturday.
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“We know this is heartbreaking and adding trauma,” Spencer said. “It’s dangerous to have electricity still on in structurally dangerous buildings.”
Several small fires sparked from live wires in severely damaged buildings on Saturday morning, she said.
Roughly 3,400 buildings have been evaluated for safety so far, Spencer said. About one-third have been red-tagged as structurally dangerous, one-third have received a yellow tag marking them moderately damaged and one-third have gotten a green tag signaling they’re sound, she said.
Early on in the evaluation process officials ran out of yellow-colored tags so orange tags were used but residents were confused and thought they might be fraudulent, Spencer said. The city is restocked with yellow tags, she said.
Theft arrests
Police have arrested 10 people suspected of theft in tornado-damaged areas, said ӣƵ Police Chief Robert Tracy. Most were after copper wire to sell, he said. Officers have responded to six incidents so far, including two overnight Friday.
Residents have said they’ve seen people stealing ӣƵ brick, which is highly valued because of its extra strength, from downed homes. Tracy said he hadn’t yet heard those reports.
“We do understand that some folks are taking advantage of the situation,” Spencer said.
Some progress
City and volunteer private contractors have cleared debris from all affected alleyways and streets, Spencer said.
And officials are adding more portable toilets to accommodate people whose homes have been too damaged to live in, or who don’t have working utilities, Spencer said.
In a press conference Thursday, May 22, 2025, Mayor Cara Spencer tells residents to document damage to their homes for FEMA officials. She also noted for volunteers and residents to practice self-care. Video courtesy of the City of ӣƵ.
