Michael McLemore could feel severe weather coming to St. Louis on May 16. He was able to quickly pull his uncle and dog off his front porch in the Greater Ville seconds before the winds from the EF3 tornado ripped his porch and roof off.
He filed an insurance claim and received about $4,000 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. But his home was tagged with a red sticker by city officials, and the money he received from both agencies was just not enough to cover the loss.
McLemore was one of about 80 individuals from around the country who experienced a natural disaster over the past few years and struggled to get immediate support from the federal government. They spoke to members of Congress in the U.S. Capitol this month on ways to improve FEMA for all…