ST. LOUIS – Shirley Allen, 74, lives near the intersection of Ashland and Cora Avenues in north St. Louis.

Her home has been without power since Friday, when a deadly tornado tore through the city.

“It’s just devastating,” she said.

Allen relies on oxygen for a medical condition. She believes more help is needed to address the needs of residents.

“I’ve never been through anything like this,” she said.

The American Red Cross has set up shelters where residents can find meals and a place to stay.  

The agency is also connecting with neighborhoods where help is needed.

“We’re really going out in communities, meeting with people that have been impacted by the storm, talking with them, doing canvassing, and assessing their needs,” said LaKricia Cox, the executive director for the Greater St. Louis Chapter of the American Red Cross.

She encourages residents who either need help or want to help to call 1-800-RED-CROSS (800-733-2767). 

One of the many community-inspired relief efforts is on Adelaide Avenue, where the tornado blew a roof off a home.

Toni Stovall owned the damaged building and helped spearhead an effort to help others.

“We’re making sure that everybody has what they need during this time of need,” said Stovall.

A few blocks away, another community-driven relief effort involved food and water. 

A table on the corner of West Florissant and Fair Avenues held food with coolers of iced-down water bottles on the ground.

Sequoi Edwards lives nearby and suffered significant damage to his home. 

With the help of several community organizations and The Kingdom Church. Many residents were still without power on Wednesday.  

“There’s no cold water. There’s no hot food. So, we just want to fill the need that we can fill,” said Edwards.

Eric Fulton lives on West Ashland Avenue.  He was standing outside his home when the tornado damaged his home.

“It came in so fast and not one siren went off,” he said.

Fulton was moved to tears over the fact that he’s still alive. 

He also teared up expressing gratitude for a group of volunteers from Samaritan’s Purse who came by to make temporary repairs to his roof. The relief organization is based in North Carolina.

“There’s a lot of need, and we can use more volunteers,” said Kathleen Wood, the project site leader.

She said anyone interested in volunteering can visit here for more information.