On May 16 an EF-3 tornado struck St. Louis. We asked St. Louis adults to rate their satisfaction with the storm response. Satisfaction was highest for the response of neighbors and community members (8.4 out of 10) and lowest for emergency communication warnings (4.2 of 10).
St. Louisans helped each other.
Among those polled, 19% were directly affected by the tornado and 52% had close friends or family members affected. Nearly 4 in 10 (38%) said they helped with tornado clean-up or volunteered in other ways. Those most likely to help were ages 40-49 and African Americans.
Advice for local leaders: Fix sirens, keep help coming
The poll also invited respondents to share their tornado reactions with local leaders. Sixty-six adults provided written responses: 27% commented on the failure of tornado sirens to alert the public (e.g., “It’s crazy to believe the sirens didn’t go off in the City”); 23% mentioned that many St. Louisans still need help (“Don’t forget the people affected by this terrible storm. They are still going to need help after it is no longer a headline.”); and 12% praised how community members lent a hand (“It was awesome the way so many people came together to help each other”).
No internet? No problem.
Please share the resources below to help St. Louisans stay safe and these resources that offer help as the storm recovery continues. Because many St. Louisans affected by the tornado still do not have internet service reestablished, these resources are also available in printable versions.
About this week’s report
This week’s alert is based on a survey of 198 adult residents in St. Louis, MO, conducted from May 24-26, 2025. Explore these data and more at iHeardSTL.
Want to help spread the word? Download the graphics below to share about this topic.
Suggested caption:
St. Louisans are coming together to clean up after the May 16th tornado. Follow the tips above to stay safe when cleaning debris.
#iHeardSTL #STLRecovers #StormCleanup
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In a poll conducted approximately one week after the St. Louis tornado, satisfaction with the response of neighbors and community members was high, but satisfaction with emergency communication warnings was low.
#iHeardSTL #STLRecovers #Tornado
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