Steven Reason is one of the many St. Louis residents displaced by the May 16th tornado that tore through the metropolitan area. He found refuge at one of the American Red Cross shelters set up immediately after the storm. He was watching a YouTube video and dozing off “when I heard the warning on my phone,” he said. “I could hear the wind blowing outside my apartment. I share his story on the Red Cross chapter blog here.

The tornado passed within a few blocks of my home, fortunately, I wasn’t affected other than a few hours without power. But thousands of my fellow St. Louisians have been rendered homeless or have other dire circumstances. Please support your local Red Cross if you don’t live in the area, and if you have the ability to volunteer your time here, contact me if you are interested in helping. There is much to be done.