The mayor of St. Louis is urgently calling for federal assistance after revealing the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has yet to arrive in the city following a devastating tornado on Friday that left at least five people dead and 38 injured.
Speaking with MSNBC's Ana Cabrera on Monday, St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer said the community is rallying to care for one another in the aftermath of the storm but emphasized that local efforts alone are not enough.
"What we need right now is federal assistance. This is where FEMA and the federal government has got to come in and help communities," Spencer stated. "Our city cannot shoulder this alone. The state of Missouri cannot shoulder this alone," she continued.
Spencer pleaded for assistance not just for St. Louis, which reportedly experienced $1 billion in storm damage, but other cities affected by the weekend's natural disasters, including other cities in Missouri, Kentucky and Virginia. She went on to confirm that FEMA has yet to offer assistance.
"I do want to say, however, every other level of government has been on the ground with us helping in every capacity possible," Spencer reiterated. "But when you have a disaster of this scale—eight miles of just pure destruction—this tornado didn't just touch down and leave. This tornado ripped through our community for a full eight miles in the city of St. Louis..."
The mayor thanked MSNBC for the opportunity to reach a broader audience and praised her community for coming together in the face of crisis, but added "we can't do it alone."
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