Story told by: Nick Gibson

Many St. Louis residents are still displaced and without homes after tornadoes devastated their community May 16^th.  Since then, American Red Cross shelters have been a safe place for families to find help and hope. 

In shelters, disaster-trained volunteers are helping families cope with the aftermath of this disaster and finding what’s next for those involved. 

Yolanda Brefford lives in West St. Louis and reached out for assistance from the Red Cross after her apartment was hit by tornadoes.  

“I really wasn’t planning on being in the shelter, but unfortunately tornadoes took over my apartment. I had to leave, because they had to shut down my floor,” said Yolanda. 

She adds that right now her apartment is in bad shape, and she can’t go back. She doesn’t know what’s next.  

“All of the windows in my living room are shattered. I know that electricity was cut off and it flooded, so we couldn’t stay there anyway”. 

Since coming to the shelter, Yolanda has tried her best to help volunteers around the shelter if needed, and it makes her feel good during a very dark time. She never thought the tornados would be this bad. 

“I didn’t know a tornado was coming, I heard the winds blow loud.” 

Despite her being without a home, Yolanda tries her best to have a positive attitude. 

“It’s just something that I have, something that has been there for years. I can’t go nowhere else right now, I’m not depressed. I feel like behind every tragedy there is a blessing, and a lesson learned.” 

Yolanda plans to utilize the Red Cross shelter for as long as possible until she can get situated. She even has a message for those who are on the fence about using one of five Red Cross Shelters in the St. Louis area: 

“I would tell them when they get here, they’re going to see the love they have for them. They have clothing, fruit, vegetables, water, and snacks. They have cots that you can lay on. They have a lot of things to offer you,”. 

To find an open shelter, visit redcross.org/shelter or view open shelters through the Red Cross Emergency app. If you don’t have access to a computer or smart phone, call 1-800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767) to find shelters near you.