A downed tree in the middle of a city street.

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.

capitalbnews.org

Credit: Antonio Garcia/Unsplash

California mining company turns to solar heat but can’t quit coal just yet

In California’s Mojave Desert, a mining plant is turning to solar thermal energy to replace one of its coal-fired generators, but a second unit may run for years due to the intense heat and 24-hour power it needs.

Ivan Penn reports for The New York Times.

In short:

Searles Valley Minerals, a mining company in Trona, Calif., is replacing one of its two coal plants with a solar thermal system but says the other may need to stay online for the foreseeable future due to operational demands.
The company will use a concentrating solar power system from start-up GlassPoint, which uses mirrors to generate high heat, a solution that works well in hot, sunny areas but requires a large land footprint and remains rare in the U.S.
Despite California’s push to phase out coal and President Trump’s efforts to revive it, economic and geographic constraints continue to complicate full industrial transitions away from fossil fuels.

Key quote:

“We just think coal is going to be a problem. We’re going to have a hard time sourcing it. We need to be ready to pivot.”

— Dennis Cruise, president of Searles Valley Minerals

Why this matters:

Industrial heat — the kind used in mining, chemical production, and heavy manufacturing — accounts for about half of global energy use, yet it’s rarely mentioned in public climate debates. Unlike home heating or car travel, generating this level of heat without fossil fuels is still tough. Most renewable energy technologies don’t deliver the extreme, continuous heat these facilities need. That leaves industries like the one in Trona stuck with coal, even as it becomes harder to source and politically unpopular. As the U.S. attempts to decarbonize, industrial energy needs present one of the biggest hurdles.

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