Tornadoes tear through Black neighborhoods in St. Louis as FEMA delays and warning systems fail
A deadly tornado system ravaged Black neighborhoods in St. Louis, exposing long-standing failures in emergency alert infrastructure and the federal government’s disaster response.
Adam Mahoney reports for Capital B News.
In short:
- An EF-3 tornado with 150-mph winds struck St. Louis on May 16, killing five people and destroying hundreds of structures, including historic Black-owned businesses.
- Despite known gaps in emergency siren coverage and digital alert systems, no warnings reached many residents; half of North City heard no sirens, and many lacked smartphone access to modern notification platforms.
- The Trump administration recently cut nearly $1 billion from Federal Emergency Management Agency programs intended for disaster resilience in Black and low-income neighborhoods and is actively attempting to dismantle the agency.
Key quote:
“We were giving people water not because they didn’t have pipes, but because they couldn’t afford it before the tornado.”
— Antoine White, rapper and organizer with HandsUp United
Why this matters:
Tornadoes don’t discriminate, but the systems meant to protect people from them often do. When a tornado ripped through St. Louis, it revealed how decades of racial segregation, underinvestment, and neglect put Black neighborhoods at greater risk. In places like North City, where emergency sirens failed and internet access is scarce, residents had no warning. The federal response was slow to arrive, just weeks after the government slashed funding designed to build safer infrastructure in vulnerable communities. These are not isolated incidents. Studies show that Black counties receive significantly less disaster preparedness funding, face higher insurance premiums, and suffer more damage during storms — even when weather conditions are identical. As climate change intensifies weather extremes, the disparity in who gets help and who doesn’t is widening.
Related: Cuts to federal weather staffing are leaving communities vulnerable to tornadoes
