The Salvation Army Provides Immediate Relief to Tornado Survivors in Greater St. Louis
On May 16, 2025, multiple tornadoes touched ground in Missouri and Illinois, causing severe damage across communities. A Salvation Army canteen and rapid response vehicle went out into the affected communities immediately to survey the damage and provide hydration, snacks and prayer.
The National Weather Service has graded the tornado as an EF3 with winds reaching 152 mph. It created a path of destruction nearly 30 miles long and 1 mile wide from Clayton, Missouri, to Edwardsville, Illinois. The last time a tornado of this scale impacted the City was in the 1960s.
Some of the most heavily impacted neighborhoods are within 5 miles of The Salvation Army’s Midland Division Headquarters on Hampton Avenue, and just blocks from our Euclid Corps Community Center on N Euclid Avenue in St. Louis.
Images have scattered local and national news showing the impact in North St. Louis City neighborhoods including Debalivere, Kingsway West, Kingsway East, The Ville and Fountain Park – often considered marginalized areas in the metro. Our critical area of service currently falls between Dr. Martin Luther King Drive and Forest Park Parkway (North to South), and from Goodfellow Boulevard to Sarah Street (West to East).
Over the weekend, The Salvation Army mobilized emergency response teams to provide immediate relief to neighbors in need, including water, snacks, meals, charging stations and cleaning supplies, as well as emotional and spiritual care. Our canteens are also being used as charging stations for residents’ phones and other devices, and the Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN) has been actively working to relay immediate feedback to our Incident Command team in light of downed cell towers and communications.
As of Sunday evening, May 18, The Salvation Army’s volunteers have put in over 160 hours serving more than 500 meals and snacks and over 620 drinks to both survivors and first responders. In addition, 30 individuals were provided emotional and spiritual counsel in the midst of the disaster.
Many communities remain without power as of Monday morning, May 19. The Salvation Army has been in constant communication with local, state and Non-Government Organizations to delegate tasks and identify resources available.
Convoy of Hope and the local Moose Lodge have provided donations of tarps, water and snacks.
The region is currently bracing for an anticipated second round of storms on Monday afternoon into Tuesday morning. Most of Missouri is forecast to experience storms with "Moderate" Risk (Level 3 of 5).
We are currently seeking monetary donations so that needs can be addressed immediately, as they arise, both in the near-term and as we look to long-term recovery. 100% of donations go directly to storm survivors – The Salvation Army never takes an administrative fee on disaster donations.
Make your gift today at https://www.salarmy.us/middisaster or by calling 1-800-SAL-ARMY.
If your business or corporation is interested in supporting recovery efforts, please contact Andy Bundesen at 314.646.3019 or Andrew.bundesen@usc.salvationarmy.org.