ST. LOUIS—Communities are pulling together to aid those affected by the May 16 EF-3 tornado that took five lives and caused billions of dollars in damage.
“So it’s all hands on deck,” said Yusef Scoggin, the executive director for Delmar Divine. “It takes a collective to make this community whole and when we work together, we can get a lot accomplished, but it’s going to require us to not just activate in the moments of crisis but to continue that fever and that desire to make significant change well into the future.”
Delmar divine did not lose power during the storm and has been powering others as well, as providing other food and drink resources. However, it took damage to its roof, parking lot fencing, air conditioning, and more. Volunteers who were cleaning up the business, which houses dozens of non-profits, intended to move over to the nearby neighborhoods and help where they could after concluding the clean up at Delmar Divine.
One of those neighborhoods was what Scoggin referred to as “ground-zero.”
One woman that Spectrum News spoke with said a support beam from a neighbor’s house across the street shot through their family room window and severed her father’s leg. He is expected to survive.
A few blocks away, a husband raced to his home to see his wife, who is due with their first child on Wednesday.
“I was devastated,” said Rahkeem Talbert, a resident of a nearby affected area. “I knew the storm clouds were around. I just thought it’d be a typical thunderstorm.”
He said that they were unharmed but the front of their house was damaged by the storm and are seeking support.
“For the most part I see the community pulling together. I think that’s utmost important in this, you know, just a unity and helping everything come back together slowly but surely.”
Others around the area are looking to help the tornado victims by means of donation.
A community driven effort received donations this Tuesday morning to take to Diamond Diva, an organization that is distributing donations to tornado victims.
Brenda Hampton, a Sumner high school graduate, visited the wreckage near where she grew up and felt compelled to help.
“As soon as we pulled up I just burst into tears because it’s so hard to see what’s happened to the area due to this tornado so I knew I wanted to get some boots on the ground,” said Brenda Hampton, St. Charles County resident / entrepreneur.
Hampton will gather donations to take downtown again on Friday, May 23, outside of Macy’s at Mid Rivers Mall on Friday from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Items she said that are especially helpful include tarps, batteries, flashlights, toiletries and hygiene items.
Supermodel Karlie Kloss returned to her Saint Louis home to celebrate the 10th anniversary of her Kode with Klossy camp and told Spectrum News how she’s responding to the devastating damage.
“We need all hands on deck so I’m doing whatever I can to rally troops to jump in, my family and I, Code of Klossy team will be volunteering,” said Kloss and added that she dropped off a bunch of donations to the local YMCA.
