ST. LOUIS – St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer says the city is prioritizing recovery and safety as crews assess tornado-damaged properties and it not currently focused on condemning them.
Spencer addressed the issue Tuesday on via social media platform X: “The City is focused on recovery and support, not punishment. That is why we are NOT condemning storm-damaged properties. … All storm-damaged properties will be reviewed individually to determine safety, not condemned.”
The city’s building division is currently conducting individual damage assessments to evaluate structural safety. The evaluations are part of a broader effort to support residents and guide safe recovery.
Spencer’s X post came Tuesday afternoon as city officials say they have been dealing with information in aftermath of Friday’s tornado.
“I need people to understand, social media is what social media is. So people need to verify the information. They are putting out that we evicting people and we are putting people out. We haven’t even had time to get to that point,” said Pamela Boyd, 13th Ward St. Louis Alderwoman during a news conference Wednesday.
“We speak several times a day with the mayor and her team to make sure we can get accurate information out to the public. Like Alderwoman Boyd said, there is a lot of misinformation that is going around on social media, and unfortunately we see that happen around natural disasters, so be sure to vet where you are getting your information from,” said Board of Alderman President Megan Green.
As building assessments continue, Spencer says, to clearly communicate the condition of each structure, inspectors are placing color-coded tags on properties.
- A red tag means the property is not safe to enter or occupy.
- A yellow tag means limited access due to safety concerns
- A green tag means the property is safe for occupancy.
“These tags are meant to guide safety, not to remove residents from their homes,” said Spencer. “Our top priority is helping people stay safely in their homes whenever possible.”
Friday’s EF-3 tornado damaged an estimated 5,000 homes and properties in the city of St. Louis, causing nearly $1 billion in damage.
For more updates on the City’s tornado response and recovery efforts, click here.