Last week, the @disasterdollardatabase team visited St Louis with @camicruzthomas@mfaimadethis@futuremakersstl@benton_park .
Nearly a year since the May 2025 tornado, recovery in St Louis continues, and the federal funding picture tells part of the story. Here are some data points we’ve found in our research.
🔗: Link in bio for the full slides from our presentation
Questions? Reach out to us via DM or email us ([email protected])
Swipe for progress >
@mfaimadethis hosted Carnegie Endowment for International Peace here on the ground in St. Louis to talk data, money, what disaster recovery looks like/has looked like in similar cases, and what vision is next for St. Louis.
Disaster recovery is hard. It’s nuanced and with the changing federal landscape, it’s not straightforward. That said, we should have CDBG-DR federal funds to help with this and that’s something that should have been (and could still be) relentlessly advocated for. We have Ram’s funds that could assist with next steps. We have community in place that can continue recovery with the right resources. There are national experts who want to help, and are a phone call (and a plane ride and MFAI-rented big ol’ SUV) away from assisting in building our new future. So we brought them out, and had two days on the ground and chatting with community (before the big public presentation on the data at @21cstl ).
What we don’t have rn is a clear plan from officials, or even a “here’s my best case scenario for the North Side and here’s how we’re going to get there.” So what’s ours? What do the numbers tell us are possible? That part is not something money can buy, that’s something that our officials just have to have a hunger for. Gotta “have that dog in ‘em” so to speak. A “I’ll try anything to ensure our people get what they need, and I have the vision of a St. Louis that thrives on all fronts.” A completely new reality is possible, and we have to think about how we approach our tornado recovery and whatever else may come.
More to say (as always). But for now: thank you @disasterdollardatabase@labosarah@lolololori@futuremakersstl@lindsay_pattan@actionstl@melaniemariestl@dr.mclemore@21cstl@314oasis@markmaxwelltv@katekeelan
Zoom out. No small fish issues. There’s a major opportunity in front of us to undo the misdeeds of this city’s treatment of the North Side and to restore more than just buildings and homes. Entire generations worth of, “we deserve so much more” are at the core of this. Let’s make it right (with the funds to get there). More to come ✨ love y’all.
INCREDIBLE PHOTOS BY TYLER THE GREAT @tylersmall314 📷
Storm chasers and disaster researchers have a lot in common - we all care about how to make people safer and prepare better for a climate with more and more disasters.
Thanks to my friend @edgarthestormchaser for taking me around OKC today and to @erikfox55 for an unforgettable drive through the El Reno memorial. More to come!
A combination of major cuts and White House pressure have transformed FEMA’s disaster declaration process from expert-guided to “worryingly political,” as more than half of disaster declaration requests from states led by Democratic governors have been denied since January 2025. @labosarah and Debbra Goh broke down the data in their latest piece for Emissary.
Under this administration, Democratic governors have faced over 3x the average denial rate for major disaster declaration requests.
The path forward for FEMA, under new Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin, must start with restoring trust that disaster relief is for all Americans—regardless of who they voted for.
🔗: Read more in the link in bio
#disasterrelief #fema
New DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin promised to reverse course on FEMA—nominating a qualified FEMA Administrator, ending the micromanagement of contracts, and restoring cooperation with oversight bodies. But data from Carnegie’s @disasterdollardatabase shows just how deep the damage runs: disaster requests from Democratic governors are being denied at dramatically higher rates, and the average wait time for a disaster declaration deadline has doubled to 58 days.
On the verge of what could be another disaster-filled summer, can FEMA finally turn the page?
#disasterrelief #fema
With a new Secretary of Homeland Security confirmed and poised to lead FEMA, @labosarah reflects on the tough position that state and local governments are in, and what they would need moving forward.
#fema #disasterrecovery
My takeaways from the Sen. MarkWayne Mullin confirmation hearing on March 18:
1. We’ll see a qualified nominee for FEMA Administrator
2. He’s repealing the $100k cap that Sec. Noem imposed that’s slowed down so much response and recovery funding
3. Mullin agreed to restore cooperation with the Inspector General and to stand up (again) a legislative affairs office to share data and information with Congress
We’ll keep tracking it all in the data!
Thanks @kpfthoustontx for having Coach Rachel and Coach Sarah on to talk about the power of women’s soccer and the Shine universe. We believe that soccer can change lives! ✨ ⚽️
When the White House abruptly canceled discussion of the FEMA Review Council’s final report, the agency’s future was (once again) called into question. Sarah Labowitz discussed the state of FEMA and its possible paths forward with Deanne Criswell, Pete Gaynor, Michael Coen, and Danielle Aymond.
What is the future of federal emergency management in the United States? Join us for a conversation on how we can build a stronger disaster recovery system with the @carnegieendow on December 15 at 1pm EST.
Register now at the link in bio.
#fema #disasterdollardatabase #disasterrecovery
