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Deaconess Community,
As summer turns to fall, our region is not merely reflecting—it is reckoning. The May 16 tornado devastated St. Louis, leaving billions in damage, lives lost, families displaced, and inequities laid bare. What we face is bigger than storm recovery... it is a reckoning of care for our people and our place.
Several months in, no reminder is needed of the tornado’s heartbreaking, all-encompassing impact, on a scale beyond words. Tragically, five St. Louisans lost their lives – we honor and remember them, as we pray for their loved ones. An additional 38 people were injured in the aftermath; and we know that injury goes beyond physical impact.
The tornado caused an estimated $1.6 billion in damage along a 23-mile path in the St. Louis region. Families were left without dwellings to call home, our cherished gathering spaces like schools and churches were destroyed, and vehicles and family heirlooms were swept away. Thousands of people were displaced following the tornado; 5,000 homes were damaged or destroyed. The Missouri Department of Commerce and Insurance estimates that the number of uninsured homes in the area could be around 67 percent, according to The People’s Response Impact Report, a seismic financial toll for residents. The impact of this devastation is felt throughout our entire region. We must make sure these human impacts, first and foremost, are not forgotten and that our elected leaders keep their promises to the people.
Since May 17, our team has activated with strength, grounded in our mission and values. Like the Deaconesses in their time, Deaconess Foundation stepped in as a ministry to serve those in need. Deaconess Center was leveraged as a sanctuary space for services, providing relief kits, charging stations, Wi-Fi, computer access, and space for prayer, reflection, and somatic practices and legal counsel. The Center granted families the space and guidance, when needed, to work through complex issues with privacy and dignity.
As always, we worked with many partners to scale our collective impact. We partnered with the Community Health Worker Coalition (CHW), Vision for Children at Risk, Affinia Healthcare, the Red Cross, and others, to distribute supplies directly from the Deaconess Center boardroom. With the help of our partners, we reached over 100 families per week through these efforts. I walked with our friends at CHW Coalition in their door-to-door grassroots check-ins, through which over 1,400 kits have been distributed to date. For me, offering block-by-block and ministry-of-presence support has been fundamental; there is no ivory tower to sit in when people are in distress.
The strength we’ve drawn from each other must fortify us as we begin to look forward. We know that extreme weather events are only expected to increase in the years to come, due to rising temperatures. In the last five years alone in Missouri (2020-2024), there have been about 8.2 extreme weather events per year, compared to just 4.0 events per year from 2010-2019. Similarly, in Illinois, there have been about 7.8 extreme weather events per year, compared to just 4.6 events per year from 2010-2019. These stark increases in such events are expected to further damage the economy, infrastructure, and of course, public health – and we know that these impacts will not be felt equally.
Nationally, research shows that historic segregation has led disproportionately to minoritized people living in low-lying, flood-prone, and amenity-poor segments of urban areas, which often suffer the most catastrophic damage from severe weather. And, too often, minoritized groups see less federal aid in the aftermath of extreme weather events.
Across St. Louis, the recovery, repair, and even the initial alarms signaling the tornado have been uneven. Storm sirens failed in North St. Louis, impacting residents’ ability to get to safety quickly. In the aftermath, more affluent parts of the city were cleaned up quickly following the storm, while North St. Louis – which experienced some of the most damage – has seen a much slower road to recovery. We know that such inequity is systemic and must be consciously abolished. It is absolutely critical that minoritized groups are at the forefront of climate change and disaster response policy. There must be long-term planning and deeper investments in adaptive infrastructure and environmental justice efforts. These investments will provide necessary direct relief while also helping to create a future-driven plan of action.
At Deaconess, we are continuing to direct our support to address both near- and long-term needs in the City of St. Louis, which anchors our region, and throughout our geographic footprint of Eastern Missouri and Southern Illinois. Following our rapid-response investment of $90,000 granted in the tornado’s aftermath, Deaconess Foundation has dedicated an additional $250,000 to support continued recovery and advance long-term environmental justice efforts. I am honored to share more information here about the local organizations we are funding:
Equity Legal Services provides free legal services to low-income communities, including communities of color and marginalized populations, while also providing culturally competent advocacy reflective of the diverse surrounding communities. They lead relief and resilience efforts for ongoing stormwater flooding and sewage overflows in Centreville, including monthly community meetings and filing litigation on behalf of residents requesting relief and monetary damages.
Tenants Transforming St. Louis is a Black renter-led organization that catalyzes tenant associations and serves as an accountability mechanism for landlords to improve or maintain housing quality. Through their Renters Hotline, they provide assistance to impacted renters.
Invest STL - Northside Resilience Fund provides direct cash assistance for urgent post-disaster needs. They prioritize equitable community development by evolving their work in four key areas: direct investments in neighborhoods, investing in the community and economic development system, convening thought leadership and testing innovative ideas to influence policies and decision making, and reframing narratives to shift our collective understanding and awareness of St. Louis residents and neighborhoods.
Northside Youth & Senior Service Center is a Black-led nonprofit community center located in St. Louis City's 4th Ward. The organization proudly serves historic neighborhoods of color by creating a better tomorrow in the community today. It works to ensure the equitable distribution of resources and services to meet those basic needs of growing and aging community members in St. Louis City.
Rejuvenating Comprehensive Services assists community members with mental and behavioral health, as well as with services issues such as employment.
Our investments emphasize both immediate relief and abiding durability, with a focus on trusted, local organizations and are grounded in:
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Community-Driven Priorities: Our investments are informed by direct feedback from impacted residents, community leaders, and front-line organizations.
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Equity & Justice: Each funded partner is rooted in the community and committed to preventing displacement, protecting generational homes, and advancing racial and environmental justice.
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Preparedness for the Future: We must build sustainable, accountable systems that enhance climate resilience and stability for every generation, including seniors.
As we begin this new season, we account for the persistent emotional, spiritual, and mental toll on children, families, and elders. How do we anticipate and respond to the reality that environmental justice will increasingly define our future as persistent flooding has become an unacceptable normal in East St. Louis and Cahokia Heights?
Deaconess is positioning ourselves to be responsive through the multiple phases of stabilization and recovery–both on our campus and through our funding strategy in our fullest footprint. We will respond to those needs and call for the changes and investments needed to reinforce our community’s durability against the challenges ahead. The winds, the floods, and the people are speaking–this is our reckoning, our call to rebuild, and to place care at the center.
In service to the mission,
Bethany Johnson-Javois
President & CEO
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