ST. LOUIS—Local, state and federal officials announced in September that FEMA had released $59 million dollars to support the removal of tornado debris from private properties, which would be paired with $100 million in state aid approved by the General Assembly in June.
As the calendar prepares to turn to 2026, none of those funds have moved yet.
The state is taking on the work of hiring a contractor for the work, while the city handles the task of getting access to private properties. In September, St. Louis officials said at least 1 million metric tons of debris was still sitting on private properties in the wake of the May 16 tornado…