This is an article from the June 2025 Civitas Examiner (Volume 2, No. 3) and was written by one of our students, Mira R. The opinions expressed herein do not reflect those of Civitas other than respect for the value of open dialogue. To read more Civitas Examiner stories or to submit your own, click here.
The tornado that touched down this May had devastating effects on St. Louis. Rated at an EF3, it caused five deaths and 38 injuries. It also created 1.6 billion dollars worth in damage, leaving many St. Louisans homeless or living in unsafe homes.
Additionally, several schools were damaged in the tornado, including Ashland Elementary, Hickey Elementary, Washington Montessori, Yeatman Middle School, Soldan High, and Sumner High. Many of these schools will not be open in the fall, and some may not reopen ever, as each school would require roughly 30 to 160 million dollars to be safely repaired. Students at these schools will relocate to other schools in the area, such as Jefferson, Walbridge, Ames, or Gateway.
Paul April, a former teacher at Soldan High School, sees the relocations as inevitable, especially considering that many of these schools already have declining enrollment rates. However, he mourns the loss of the historic school buildings. He says, “I understand that it’s necessary…not only is it expensive to run all of these schools, with relatively small enrollments…at the same time, many of these schools have historical roots in the community, and it’s difficult to see them close.” However, April still believes that relocation is better than virtual classes. He says, “I would have reservations about [online classes], I think a big part of the experience of going to school…is the socialization and feeling like you’re part of a community.”
Blythe Bernhard, an education reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, has many concerns about these relocations. For example, many students do not have access to transportation, and relocating to a farther school would make getting to school next to impossible. Other students could be relocated to a different school than their siblings, giving parents another level of difficulty in getting their children to school. Additionally, she also warns that students in newly combined schools could face hostility and violence. Overall, Bernhard predicts that attendance will drop due to these issues in the coming school year.
Bernhard also cites recent changes to FEMA as something that exacerbated the effects of the tornado. In January 2025, Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14180, a document that made significant revisions to FEMA. In particular, it created a FEMA Review Council, arguing that FEMA is too politically biased and needs reform. Over the past few months, this Council has made large cuts to staff and federal funding, which shifts the responsibility of disaster relief to state and local governments- in turn, compounding the inequalities in resources between these organizations. In the recent tornado, it took nearly a month for FEMA to begin providing aid for St. Louis residents affected by the tornado, continuing a pattern of slow or inadequate FEMA responses under the new administration.
Additionally, Bernhard compares this situation to schooling during COVID-19. During this time, many St. Louis children faced challenges to attendance, such as lack of internet access, a distracting home environment, or unstable housing situations. In those years, Bernhard says, “Children fell through the cracks.” She states that enrollment rates went down across the city without rising in other places, and she cautions that a similar effect may happen with the tornado. She urges officials to learn from the mistakes of the pandemic, and to do everything in their power for students affected by the storm.
Volunteer/Donate: https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/recovery/tornado-2025/give/index.cfm
