By David Strom

I spent part of my Saturday, (June 14) morning taking a walk down Enright Ave with local American Red Cross ARC board members Tom Lawrence and Kathy Sherby and their respective spouses Tammy and Jim.

A walk down a city street doesn’t sound all that momentous, until you get more details. With me was Carmela Burke, an experienced volunteer on more than 70 deployments from the Los Angeles Red Cross area who was working in St. Louis to help manage external communications. Burke was my photographer partner for the morning. 

Our task was to hand out flyers door-to-door to help those who have been affected by the May tornadoes. That sounds simple but carries a great deal of responsibility, because the group is quite literally the face of the Red Cross. And the flyers were conversation starters and a means to communicate what the Red Cross and other public and private organizations could do to help the people living on Enright Avenue and elsewhere across the St. Louis metro region. 

The focus of the communication was how to apply for disaster financial assistance. Each provider -- whether it be the Red Cross, the federal government, or other private charities -- has a process, timetables, deadlines and circumstances for obtaining the help. Many of these workflows start with calling a phone number or scanning a QR code and filling out a web form. “I had to establish whether the people we met first, had a smartphone and second, knew how to use these codes,” said Tom Lawrence. 

Our assigned block was just one of many that were covered by a group of volunteers from Clayco Construction Inc. and others who met at the Westside Missionary Baptist Church to get their briefing materials. The church is one of the “relief hubs” established by the Spirit of St. Louis Task Force. This is an umbrella group of faith-based organizations working with the American Red Cross and the St. Louis Foodbank and others to help provide direct assistance to their communities. Fittingly, at the church to greet us that morning were three pastors from different congregations and Laura Keys, the city alderwoman whose district we would be canvassing.  

Ongoing canvassing efforts will continue to take place to ensure those affected by the May 16^th tornado have the information needed to receive available assistance.

Anyone whose home was significantly damaged May 16th and has been classified by Red Cross as having sustained major damage or as destroyed, visit redcross.org/gethelp to review the information about qualifications and to fill out the online form by July 3. Individuals may also apply by calling 1-800-Red-Cross (1-800-733-2767). Some people may have already received an invitation via email, text or call, and it is critical for everyone to respond and follow the instructions to receive assistance by July 11.

Individuals may also go to the Disaster Assistance Center where they will receive help in applying to including uploading documents. It is located at Chaifetz Arena, 1 South Compton Ave., St. Louis, MO and open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. June 23-26. Residents should register for appointments for the DAC at https://rdcrss.org/3SSmBzz. Walk ins are welcome. Free transportation is available: https://rdcrss.org/3HO9GMB.