KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Five people were killed and an estimated 5,000 buildings were damaged after an EF3 tornado in St. Louis on Friday.
Two residents whose homes were completely destroyed provided advice for their Midwest neighbors about the insurance process.
St. Louis City Mayor Cara Spencer said there's about $1 billion in damage.
"I was born and raised [in St. Louis], and I've never experienced anything like it," said Dolly Baskin, a resident of St. Louis' Fairgrounds neighborhood.
Amanda Symmonds, whose apartment is about six miles west of the Gateway Arch, echoed that sentiment.
"This was really different," she said.
Baskin lost her home, and Symmonds' apartment was destroyed.
"If I wouldn't had taken cover, I don't think I would be here because a pole flew through my window," Symmonds said.
Baskin was at work in downtown St. Louis when the storm rolled through. She said her roommate called her and told her, "We no longer have a home."
She said she fell to her knees and cried.
"I just looked up and thought, 'Oh my God, what am I going to do?" she said.
Baskin said she called her insurance Friday night around 9 p.m.
"We were going to wait until Monday, and a friend of mine was like, 'Oh no, they're 24 hours, you can call them at any time,'" she said.
Baskin's insurance placed her in a hotel room that same night. She said her insurance will pay for the hotel room for 45 days.
"I haven't heard from no one since then, but we do have an appointment for them (insurance) to come out Saturday," Baskin said.
Her advice is to be patient.
"If you can't get through to them, just be patient 'cause they have to realize this was a tragedy not just in one neighborhood," Baskin said.
About a 15-minute drive to the southwest in the Central West End neighborhood, Symmonds said she's waiting to hear back from her insurance company.
"I just sent pictures in and stuff," she said. "I'm just waiting to hear back. I know they probably have a lot of claims."
Symmonds is currently staying with her parents in the O'Fallon suburb of St. Louis. She said the company she rents her apartment through has other complexes, so it's relocating her to one of those.
"I'm just glad to have renter's insurance," she said. "They (her apartment complex) require us to have insurance there. If I didn't have it, I don't know what I would do. I definitely think everyone should at least have it because you never know when it's going to happen."
Symmonds said she pays $40 a month for her renter's insurance. Based on her agreement, she thinks most of her belongings will be covered.
"I definitely think it's worth it to have, and it's affordable," Symmonds said.
In response to the storm in St. Louis, the Missouri Department of Commerce and Insurance created a webpage with the intent of simplifying the insurance process for all Missourians following severe weather. You can find that website here.
Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley visited St. Louis on Monday to look at the storm damage. He had a message for insurance companies.
"You need to pay out claims," he said. "We need 100% of claims that are eligible to be paid out, and they need to be paid out in full."
—
KSHB 41 reporter Lily O’Shea Becker covers Franklin and Douglas counties in Kansas. Share your story idea with Lily.
