Houston rapper Trae Tha Truth has mobilized to assist St. Louis, Missouri residents displaced by what officials are calling the area’s most devastating weather event in six decades.
The EF-3 tornado that struck St. Louis on May 16 claimed five lives and damaged or destroyed approximately 5,000 buildings. State officials estimate total losses to exceed $1 billion.
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Trae Tha Truth’s hands on assistance
After watching his daughter graduate, Trae immediately traveled to St. Louis with his team to provide hands on assistance to tornado affected residents.
“We’re gonna get to work, shine light, it’s the lower income areas really affected, so we’re gonna do what we can to help,” Trae said.
Many of these residents lost generational family homes.
“The tornado went right through the heart of Black St. Louis, so we lost a lot of legacy homes our grandmothers and aunties owned for 50 years,” said one resident.
READ: More severe weather pummels the central US as thousands recover from deadly tornadoes
Local residents praised the rapper’s immediate response and hands on involvement in cleanup efforts.
“[Trae Tha Truth] came over and assisted me and my family with the trees that came down on my house… he pulled right up [with] his crew and got to work,” said one grateful resident. “I love that for St. Louis, he’s not even from here, that just means so much.”
Community response and relief efforts
Speaking with KPRC 2’s Zorrie Jones, Trae described the conditions forcing some families to leave their homes: “The areas that [are] messed up... it’s like people feel like they’re being forced out. You got people with no ceilings, trees all over, a bunch of brick homes torn down and it’s still people without power.”
He added that many outside the area have little awareness of the storm’s severity.
“They think it was just a rainstorm. They have no idea how bad the damage really is,” he said.
That’s why Trae is using his social media platform to shine a light on the disaster, emphasizing that many move on thinking it was “just a storm,” but the impact hit the communities and is affecting people in a major way.
READ: More storms take aim at central US, where many are digging out from tornado damage
State officials and organizations have begun coordinating relief efforts to support affected residents and businesses in the area.
Mayor Cara Spencer highlighted the collaborative efforts underway following the disaster.
“I have to commend not only our first responders but our community... folks have really rallied to make sure that we’re keeping our communities as safe as possible,” Spencer said.
In response to the scale of devastation, Spencer announced that Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe approved the deployment of the National Guard to St. Louis for a humanitarian mission.
“The National Guard will manage emergency debris collection sites in the affected neighborhoods along with helping sort, load and transport debris from these sites to landfills,” Spencer said. “I want to thank the Governor and the State of Missouri for being partners in St. Louis’s time of need.”
Following the tornado, the head of St. Louis City Emergency Management was placed on administrative leave after it was revealed the storm sirens never sounded because the activation button was not pushed.
Spreading hope and how you can help
Part of Trae’s mission is not only to bring help but hope.
“Of course, you are always heartbroken to see some of the families, because some of them don’t know what they’re gonna do. But people like myself and others come to give them hope.” Trae said.
READ: Remembering the devastating Houston derecho of 2024
He also emphasized the power of faith in times of crisis: “Keep faith and keep God first. He never puts you in a situation He doesn’t foresee can be handled... We gotta have faith and let Him do His work,” He added. “I move on faith, and it always works. That’s all part of keeping faith and being prayed over because He can bring you through it.”
For those who want to help and donate to the residents displaced: Visit angelbynature.com
