Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) called on the Federal Emergency Management Agency to deliver critical assistance to St. Louis, which was devastated by an unprecedented tornado that killed more than a dozen people Friday.
Hawley visited the affected area Monday to meet with victims and survey the damage. He said the region would “need lots of assistance to rebuild” and called on FEMA to assist, per a press release from his office.
“Seeing the damage today in north St. Louis,” Hawley wrote on social media. “These are good people who have been hit hard. We are going to need lots of assistance to rebuild. FEMA needs to come in strong. And insurers need to pay claims IN FULL.”
At an unrelated Senate hearing with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Hawley again made his pitch.
“We are desperate for assistance in Missouri,” Hawley told Noem. Afterward, Hawley said Noem “pledged to expedite our state’s disaster request.”
Hawley has voted against FEMA aid before, however. He was among 10 Senate Republicans and one independent who voted last year against the American Relief Act, which would have provided $29 billion to FEMA to aid areas affected by Hurricanes Milton and Helene.
It is unclear how much aid FEMA will offer Missouri and other nearby states ravaged by these storms. More than 4,400 buildings in St. Louis alone sustained damage from the storm. The St. Louis city assessor’s office has estimated that there is at least $1 billion in property damage.
After the storm, some residents reported not hearing tornado warning sirens. St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer acknowledged there was a “human error” in protocol.
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“Within minutes, a massive weather hit the ground and was decimating our neighborhoods,” Spencer said. “In those minutes, between the warning and the time we were experiencing a massive weather event, there was a failure.”
“It was not exceptionally clear about whose roles or responsibilities were to do what” during the incident, Spencer added.